Uber Eats now lets merchants message customers about their orders | TechCrunch

Uber Eats announced on Wednesday that it will now allow restaurants and merchants to chat with customers to help prevent issues with orders. The app is also introducing new AI tools for merchants, and is inviting users to submit photos of their orders if the item doesn’t yet have a menu image.

With the new “Live order chat” feature, merchants can message customers in real-time to do things like confirm replacements for sold-out items, clarify special requests, and check in on dietary or allergy preferences.

Uber states that users can’t initiate chats with merchants, as customers can only message merchants if they have contacted them first. Live order chat is available for both delivery and pickup orders, and ends once the food has been handed off to a courier or customer for pickup.

The launch of the new feature comes three months after Uber Eats rival DoorDash announced the ability for merchants to chat directly with customers to resolve order issues.

As for the new AI tools for merchants, Uber Eats is launching AI-powered summaries of customer reviews to make it easier to understand feedback at scale. Plus, Uber Eats is rolling out AI-generated item descriptions for menus to help users make informed decisions when deciding what to order.

The app will also use AI to enhance low-quality food images by improving lighting, resolution, framing, and plating. For example, if there’s a photo of food in a takeout container, Uber Eats might use AI to generate an image of the same dish on a plate.

In addition, Uber Eats will now encourage users to snap a photo of their delivery. The company says it’s doing this because it’s aware that customers are more likely to order a dish when they are able to see what it looks like. If a customer’s photo is chosen and published, they can get $3 in Uber Cash if they live in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, or the U.K.

To submit a photo, users need to tap the “Add Photos” button on the rate order screen after their order is delivered.