DoorDash is launching new ways to use the local delivery platform, including text message ordering, drone deliveries, and retail returns. The new message ordering feature builds on capabilities that the Ask DoorDash AI chatbot introduced to the DoorDash app in June, allowing you to get recommendations and offload your browsing while skipping the app entirely.
“Ordering is now as easy as sending a text,” DoorDash said in its press release. “Whether you’re requesting a specific dish, asking for a local recommendation based on your mood, or telling DoorDash to ‘order my usual protein bowl to the office,’ it searches local spots, suggests a cart, and handles checkout right inside the text thread. It learns your preferences and remembers them for future orders.”
This is all just a preview for now because ordering by text isn’t available yet — iOS users in the US can join a waitlist from today to try the experience in beta. We’ve asked DoorDash for information about the rollout timeline and Android availability.
The first location for DoorDash Air, the company’s drone delivery service, has also been revealed. It’ll be piloted in an unspecified part of northern California with local food services, including Chipotle and Popeyes. DoorDash says around 80 percent of typical restaurant orders are “light and small enough for the aircraft to carry safely,” and that food arrives at customers’ doors within five minutes based on initial testing. DoorDash hasn’t announced when the drone deliveries will actually be available to consumers.
Finally, a returns feature will be expanded across the US in November that allows customers to pay DoorDash couriers to send items back to local retailers. It’s only available in select cities right now, and costs $7.99 to schedule an eligible return. No box or shipping label is required — the item just gets collected from your door, taken back to the store, and then your return is processed for you.
The idea is to prevent you from missing the return window for unwanted products purchased on DoorDash due to other commitments that prevent you from shipping or taking it back yourself. TikTok announced its own version of this feature via UPS yesterday.