DoorDash partners with Meta to test delivery of Facebook Marketplace items
To make the unpleasant exchange of goods with a stranger a little less awkward, DoorDash has officially announced a partnership with Facebook Marketplace. According to the firm, DoorDash Drive, a business-to-business service that connects drivers to merchants through their own website or app, is now testing a feature that will let DoorDash drivers pick up and deliver Facebook Marketplace products to clients.
The test is presently being offered by DoorDash and Facebook’s parent company Meta in a number of American locations, providing many drivers yet another way to make money. Marketplace products that fit in a vehicle trunk and must be located up to 15 miles away are eligible for delivery. Deliveries must be made by DoorDash drivers in fewer than 48 hours.
Through their collaboration, DoorDash and Meta hope to advance the company’s goal of expanding beyond food delivery. DoorDash has already grown to deliver home goods, prescription drugs, apparel, cosmetics, and other items. Among other retailers, the brand has partnerships with Rite Aid, Bed Bath & Beyond, JCPenney, and Sephora.
“DoorDash is constantly considering fresh ways to support the communities we work with. We continuously investigate and test new technologies because of the platform’s unmatched ease and opportunity, the business said in a statement.
This service is advantageous to both the seller and the buyer who might not feel comfortable allowing a stranger inside their house to pick up an item. It’s also a good choice for someone who can’t travel, doesn’t have a big enough car, or has problems choosing stuff.
Additionally, it aids DoorDash in fending off competition from Uber Eats, which just introduced a statewide delivery service. Nine months before, DoorDash had already started offering statewide deliveries. Last month, Amazon and Grubhub, a competitor of DoorDash, teamed together to provide Prime members a year’s free access to Grubhub+.
Through their new partnership, Facebook Marketplace will be able to provide more local delivery alternatives. Currently, Facebook Marketplace only permits bigger products to be delivered by an on-demand delivery service called Dolly. The drawback of Dolly is that it is only available in at least 45 American cities. Additionally, Meta enables Marketplace vendors to send products directly to customers.
According to a recent Pew Research Center report, just 32% of kids between the ages of 13 and 17 use Facebook, which is why Meta is having trouble convincing young people to utilise it. According to a source who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, Facebook’s partnership with DoorDash may be an effort to attract younger users as Marketplace is one of the only Facebook services that is well-liked by Generation Z.
Since March, DoorDash has been testing a feature that lets users return packages to the post office, UPS, or FedEx.
DoorDash reported year-over-year growth in the overall number of delivered orders of 23% earlier this month, bringing the total to a record of 426 million delivered orders.
