Uber Eats is launching a TikTok-like short-form video feed to encourage discovery and allow restaurants to showcase their food. Uber Eats senior director of product Awaneesh Verma told TechCrunch exclusively that the new feed is being tested in New York, San Francisco, and Toronto. The company plans to launch the feed globally in the future.
With this launch, Uber Eats joins a number of other popular apps (including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and Netflix, to name a few) that have launched their own short-form video feeds in response to TikTok's growing popularity. I did. TechCrunch also recently learned that LinkedIn has begun experimenting with its own TikTok-like feed.
The new Uber Eats short videos appear in carousels placed throughout the app, including the home screen. When you click on a video preview, you'll see a vertical feed of short-form content that you can swipe through. You'll only see content from nearby restaurants that offer delivery.
Verma said the feed is designed to recreate the experience of actually going to a restaurant, watching people prepare food, and being inspired to try something new. It is said that it has been done. Swipe through your feed and you might see videos of ice cream shops preparing Nutella milkshakes or Indian restaurants packaging rice separately from curry so it doesn't get soggy by the time it's delivered to your door. yeah. House.
“Early data shows that people are much more confident in trying new dishes and things they wouldn't otherwise eat,” Verma said. “Even small things like being able to see texture and details on portion size and food content can be very exciting for users.”
Image credit: Uber Eats
Uber Eats notes that the videos are not advertisements because the company does not charge sellers for the content.
Many restaurants run social media accounts on apps like Instagram and TikTok to attract new customers and use short-form videos to showcase their food. By allowing sellers to share short videos directly on their Uber Eats app, the company is helping restaurants reach customers directly as they decide what to order. When it comes to consumers, many people already use social media to discover new places and dishes to try, so Uber Eats will likely use the new feed to help users find inspiration directly within its app. You would expect that.
Some users may not find this release a welcome addition to the app, as they may be overwhelmed by the huge amount of different short-form video feeds in popular apps. . While it may make sense to introduce short-form video feeds to entertainment and social media apps, introducing them to food delivery apps may not be the preferred choice for some.
Verma also shared that the company has revamped its Uber Eats Manager software to add personalized growth recommendations to further support merchants. The software can now encourage restaurants to grow their business by running promotions for specific dishes, adding photos to menu listings, and more.
Additionally, this summer the company will be releasing an all-new app for restaurant managers designed to help restaurants be more proactive on the go. For example, an app can alert a restaurant manager that there's a problem in their store or that they might want to boost sales with new ads.
Uber Eats announced Monday that it now has more than 1 million merchants on its platform across 11,000 cities on six continents around the world.