Fast-food startups like GetR, GoPuff and Gorillaz, once heralded as the next big thing in ordering, are facing insurmountable logistical challenges. Despite competition and high operating costs, they are taking steps to stay around. Incidentally, Gopuff today launched features aimed at eliminating some of the platform’s biggest pain points, such as the inability to book orders ahead or take orders from nearby stock rooms.
Starting today, Gopuff customers can order Gopuff to deliver their order as soon as the Gopuff Marketplace is closed – exact hours depend on the marketplace – as soon as it reopens. (Needless to say, this does not apply to locations where Gopuff delivers 24/7.) Alternatively, customers can pre-order or schedule an order for a date and time similar to most major food delivery apps. Get picked up wherever Gopuff offers retail and in-store shopping.
The shopping experience in the store is very limited. Like Gopuff, only with Bevmo! Outlets – Gopuff to acquire alcohol retailer Bevmo! for $350 million in 2020 Remember to find – and locations in New York City are shopping in-store. Live online order pickup will be offered at “many” locations, but Gopuff says (it’s not clear how many), the hours will reflect in-app ordering.
Gopuff is introducing Gifts, which allows customers to add gifts to their carts for on- and off-stage recipients. Once you enter the recipient’s address, name and phone number and the gift message, both the gift recipient and the sender will receive a text message confirming that the gift order is being processed. The recipient will receive SMS alerts when the order is submitted, delivered or cancelled.
Gopuff did not initially respond to TechCrunch’s inquiry about whether gift recipients’ information is being used for marketing or other purposes. Gopuff, like many app-based products and services, collects a broad range of personal information that it reserves the right to use for ad targeting and to promote its subscription services, as well as to share with third parties, including business partners and “affiliates and partners.” “
In a follow-up email, a Gopuff spokesperson clarified that gift recipient information will no longer be used in these ways.
The new features are only available through the company’s new Gopuff app (version 8.1.0), which started rolling out nationwide this morning. While Gopuff has partnerships with Uber and Just Eat Takeaway, which lists its inventory on Uber Eats and Grubhub, respectively, the company says customers using those platforms won’t be able to take advantage of order scheduling, gifting and pickup. Uber Eats and Grubhub support those features for many other businesses.
Gopuff has been having a rough time lately, no pun intended. After eyeing an IPO in mid-2022 and tapping former Disney CEO Bob Iger as an adviser and investor, Gopuff this summer cut costs in Spain, one of its markets, and cut 10% of its global workforce. . More cuts were hit by GoPuff in October — which particularly affected various customer service divisions — as the startup sought to secure a line of credit of up to $300 million to hedge against inflation.
