Dive Brief:
- Uber will soon add the UberRUSH delivery service to its API, allowing retailers to integrate same-day delivery into their websites and shopping apps.
- Companies set to tap UberRUSH for same-day delivery include retailers Nordstrom and Rent the Runway, food delivery services such as Eat Street, and delivery startup Curbside.
- UberRUSH couriers may also transport passengers as UberX drivers, but will receive special training to handle merchandise.
Dive Insight:
Uber has taken a huge step into the delivery business, announcing it will soon add the UberRUSH one-hour delivery service to its API and share it with developers at retailers, meal delivery businesses, and logistics startups. The move will bring Uber to the forefront of e-commerce by bringing its brand other companies’ checkout pages.
UberRUSH launched last October in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, offering a range of take-out meals and household goods for delivery via courier. Soon, UberRUSH couriers will be eligible for dispatch to more locations similar to UberX’ rideshare service, accepting and delivering packages with an assist from the Uber app.
Uber is going head-to-head with Postmates, Amazon, Google, and other companies in the delivery, but its on-demand, trackable service may offer an edge over contract carriers—or make UberRUSH a formidable fulfillment partner for firms like Bergen Logistics and Trade Global, which provide logistics services to retailers such as Rebecca Minkoff.
The company has forged a number of successful API integrations in rideshare, placing click-to-Uber capabilities inside Google Maps and TripAdvisor. “We’re hoping that one day through the UberRUSH API, getting anything in your city will be more affordable and reliable than getting in your car to pick it up yourself,” Uber’s blog post says.
