DoorDash is adding new features to its app in hopes of easing "decision fatigue" for hungry customers.
They include written reviews, food ratings and curated lists of local restaurants. The new tools coincide with the launch of DoorDash's Top 100 Most Loved local restaurants, which were recognized for on-time and accurate service as well as for their food.
“We’re always thinking about how we can make the shopping experience even more frictionless and relevant for our customers,” said Helena Seo, head of design at DoorDash, in a statement. Here's a look at each of the new tools.
Written reviews
Customers will be able to leave reviews as well as star ratings of restaurants they've ordered from, allowing other customers as well as restaurants to view feedback.
DoorDash said reviews will help improve customer satisfaction, menu quality, adoption and retention.
While reviews may be helpful for customers, they can make restaurants uneasy to say the least. According to an FAQ page on DoorDash's website, customers will have the option to make their review public or private. Public reviews will show up on a restaurant's DoorDash page with the most recent reviews at the top. Reviews will be moderated by DoorDash to make sure that they're relevant. Notably, reviews about the delivery experience provided by a DoorDash driver will not be posted, according to the FAQ.
Restaurants will also be able to respond to both public and private reviews within seven days of receiving them.
GIFs courtesy of DoorDash
Item ratings
When a customer orders food on DoorDash, they will be able to rate each item with a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" icon. A restaurant's three items with the most thumbs up will appear on their menu with a "most liked" tag. DoorDash said this feature will save customers a total of 400,000 hours annually as they decide what to order. Since introducing the feature, customers have used the thumbs to weigh in on an average of 2.5 million items a week.
Restaurants aren't allowed to opt out of this feature, according to the FAQ.
Top 10 lists
Customer reviews and ratings will contribute to a series of Top 10 lists that will rank things like best new restaurants or top breakfast spots. The lists are "dynamic and ever-evolving," DoorDash wrote, and incorporate consumer feedback as well as hours, order volume and distance from the customer.
The new features come as DoorDash has been reinforcing its position as the No. 1 delivery provider in the U.S. As for its competitors, Uber Eats and Grubhub, both allow customers to leave feedback to varying degrees. Uber Eats users can leave a star rating but there are no public reviews. Grubhub customers can post public reviews along with star ratings.
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