DoorDash Launches AI Chatbot That Boosts Grocery Baskets by 35%
COST•DoorDash rolled out an in-app AI chatbot that lets users place restaurant and grocery orders via voice, text or visual prompts, adding items directly to carts and confirming pantry staples. Early tests show grocery baskets are over 35% larger and carts built five times faster, while half of takeout orders went to new restaurants.
1. AI Chatbot Introduction
DoorDash introduced Ask DoorDash, an in-app AI assistant accessible via the search bar 'Ask' button on iOS. Users can interact using voice, text or images, with responses that include buttons to add suggested menu items or groceries directly to their carts after confirming existing pantry staples.
2. Early Adoption Metrics
Initial user tests reveal that grocery orders placed through the chatbot are built five times faster and average more than 35% larger in subtotal compared to standard app orders. Nearly 50% of restaurant takeout orders through Ask DoorDash were from venues customers had never tried before.
3. Enterprise Monetization Plans
DoorDash plans to offer its AI technology to corporate clients under their own brands, aiming to generate new enterprise revenue streams. The company views its investment in conversational AI as a product that can be embedded by grocers, restaurants and other retailers.
4. Competitive Implications
By expanding Ask DoorDash to more U.S. users and adding reservation capabilities, DoorDash intensifies competition with Instacart’s enterprise offerings for grocers like Kroger and Costco. The move underscores DoorDash’s strategy to diversify beyond last-mile delivery into AI-powered commerce solutions.
