Uber Eats is synonymous with food delivery but the company is continuing to expand its offering to include more everyday categories including grocery, convenience, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, and pet supplies.

Uber Eats regional general manager for retail – Australia and New Zealand, Lucas Groeneveld said the platform has big plans to power same-hour commerce in Australia.

“E-commerce growth was up over 80% in the first eight weeks of the pandemic in Australia and the demand for delivery is swelling, not slowing as cities open back up,” he told Retailbiz.

“We want to move what matters within hours if not minutes, which includes grocery but also captures categories like alcohol, everyday essentials, pharmacy and personal care, and of course where it all started for us – restaurant food.”

Uber Eats currently partners with five of the 10 biggest grocers in the world including household names like Walmart, Costco, Carrefour, Sainsbury’s, and Woolworths.

“We’re continuing to link up with major Australian retailers to make next hour delivery a reality across the country – it’s a giant leap forward for customer convenience.

“Importantly, our capability also extends beyond ordering directly from a retailer on the Uber Eats app. We’re partnering with retailers like Woolworths to provide more delivery options for customers ordering through their own channels,” Groeneveld said.

On National Pickle Day in November, Uber Eats took to the skies with a 22-foot pickle, flying the cucumber across Sydney’s eastern coastline to remind customers that they can ‘get whatever they need, whatever pickle they find themselves in’. To coincide with the levitating pickle, Uber Eats offered 50% off grocery delivery orders for 24 hours.

“National Pickle Day was a fun reminder of the everyday use case of Uber Eats. After seeing thousands of redemptions during the grocery promotion tied to Pickle Day, Uber Eats has launched a roadmap which will feature ongoing weekly discounts from a range of categories. It’s already underway in Australia, just keep an eye out in the app for the latest offers,” Groeneveld said.

“Australia was one of the first countries in the world to offer a united delivery and ridesharing membership in Uber Pass. By bringing together the best of Uber and Uber Eats into a single membership we’re helping unlock savings on travel and discounted delivery at a massive scale, enabling people to go anywhere and get anything with Uber and this offering will be continuing to deepen the appeal of our grocery offering with $0 delivery for orders over $20.”