Uber Grocery Delivery Begins A Slow Roll Out In A Crowded Space

The COVID-19 pandemic has vastly increased the demand for delivery services, particularly grocery delivery. Uber sees a chance to capitalize on that increased demand, announcing today that it's introducing grocery delivery in certain regions of North America. Uber is doing grocery delivery in a partnership with Cornershop, and at first, it'll only be available in "select cities" in Latin America and Canada.

It won't be long before we see Uber's grocery delivery expand to the United States, though when it does, it'll be on a very limited scale. Later this month, Uber says that it'll launch grocery delivery in Miami, Florida and Dallas, Texas. Uber users in those cities who are subscribed to either the Uber Pass or the Eats Pass will get free delivery on orders over $30.

It seems that grocery delivery orders will be carried out through both the Uber and Uber Eats apps. Orders are fulfilled and delivered by Cornershop team members, not Uber drivers, and users will be able to track their order and request no-contact drop off.

Here in the United States, at least, Uber is going to have a fair amount of competition when it comes to grocery delivery. It'll be going head to head with services like Shipt and Instacart, which were established before the pandemic began. Not only that, but a number of grocery chains have rolled out their own, in-house delivery and pickup services in the wake of the pandemic, so consumers certainly have plenty of options when it comes to getting their groceries in the age of social distancing.

The same is likely true in many regions around the world where Uber is planning a grocery delivery launch. The company says that it plans to "roll out new grocery delivery features for customers and merchants alike in the US and other cities around the world over the coming months," so perhaps it has a few tricks up its sleeve when it comes to breaking into a crowded space. Stay tuned.