Uber Eats announced Tuesday that the company has added multiple new features for operators, including an option to integrate their Uber Eats profile with their Instagram feed, and the ability to post updates like menu changes, specials and news for customers to the newly launched Merchant Stories.
Both features are free of charge (aside from Uber Eats’ normal fees) and are meant to give restaurants more visual storytelling capabilities through their profile, the third-party delivery company said.
“Our consumer research tells us that not only do customers feel more comfortable making food decisions with photos, but they’re actually more likely to purchase items when there’s photo proof,” Uber Eats said in a media update on Tuesday.
Any restaurant operator can opt to connect their Instagram feed to their Uber Eats profile, and then the latest photos will show up whenever hungry customers peruse their page. There is technically nothing to prevent operators from promoting posts on their Instagram feed that implore customers to order through the restaurant directly so operators can avoid steep commission fees.
The Merchant Stories feature will operate much like a Facebook or Twitter feed, where customers can follow a restaurant to receive notifications when they update menu changes, deals, and promotions. Operators submit their stories right through their profile on Uber Eats, much like a Facebook status update or tweet, and they will stay on an operator’s page for a week.
Although operators will not be able to directly communicate with customers via the feature, they will have access to analytics that can break down their audience engagement and reach via pageviews and clicks. According to Uber Eats, their research shows that 13% of consumers who clicked through a restaurant’s stories then placed an order to that restaurant within the same online session.
“As more restaurants across the U.S. and worldwide start to engage with these new features over the coming months, consumers on Uber Eats will soon be able to benefit from learning more about their favorites through content rich experiences—and closer, more meaningful relationships with the local restaurants they love,” Uber Eats’ media update said.
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