Innovation
Uber Introducing Priority Delivery and Restaurant Rewards Programs
Uber has announced multiple new aspects to the Uber Eats platform, those being priority delivery and restaurant loyalty programs.
According to the Uber press release, "When you place an order with Uber Eats, you want your food to arrive by the estimated delivery time, every time. And then there are those occasions when you want your food even faster. That's why we're introducing the option for customers to pay a nominal fee for Priority Delivery, which cuts time off the original ETA, and ensures your order comes directly to you, ASAP."
Restaurants that choose to participate can create their own loyalty programs from the ground up, while customers can monitor their progress towards the next reward.
An *Even Easier* Target Run: Fresh Grocery Pickup is Rolling Out Nationwide
Target has announced the expansion of its grocery pickup service to include fresh and frozen items. It plans to expand this program to 400 stores by the end of the month and 1,500 stores by the holiday season.
"The speed and convenience of our fulfillment options are unmatched across the country, and they've become even more critical for our guests searching for easy and safe ways to shop during the pandemic. By adding fresh grocery to the pickup services our guests already love, we're giving them even more reasons to shop at Target," says John Mulligan, Target's chief operating officer in a Target press release. "During a time when even more people are looking for different ways to get the items they need, we'll continue to invest in making Target the easiest and safest place to shop."
Restaurants
More consumers order breakfast online, even as fast-food chains see overall segment sales fall
According to a CNBC article, customers have started ordering their breakfast online through apps like DoorDash or Uber Eats.
According to the above article from CNBC, "Between the weeks of March 16 and April 13, consumers nearly doubled their spending on fast-food breakfast items ordered through third-party delivery services, according to Edison Trends, which studies anonymized and aggregated e-receipts from millions of U.S. consumers. Consumers' online spending for fast-food breakfast meals peaked the week of May 11 and has since fallen slightly."
Restaurant gift card sales grow nominally prior to COVID-19
According to a Restaurant Dive article, gift card sales increased slightly in 2019, by only one percent.
According to the above article, "Restaurant gift card sales increased 10% from 2017 to 2018, but just a 1% uptick from 2018 to 2019, according to Paytronix's Annual Gift Card Sales Report: 2020 emailed to Restaurant Dive. Data is sourced from gift card sales processed between Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2019, with redemption data extending through March 20."
However, also according to this article, restaurant brand's efforts to make access to gift cards easier, like selling them at retailers, is paying off.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Chipotle ranks No. 1 among QSRs for COVID-19 safety measures, report says
According to an article in Restaurant Dive, Chipotle has been named the top restaurant brand for health and safety compliance during COVID-19, which the news outlet learned from an Ipsos study, which can be read here.
According to this article, "Employees at 90% of the Chipotle locations visited were consistently wearing masks, while 83% of locations included employees wearing gloves. Further, 49% of Chipotle's locations have hand sanitizer available at the entrance and 82% have hand sanitizer available in restrooms. The industry average for the latter metric is just 24%."