Uber to open seasonally-themed online store
Uber Technologies Inc. is launching the first official holiday shop on its Uber Eats delivery platform.
In an exclusive partnership with direct-to-consumer products and services provider Proper Companies' holiday division (which includes the Mr. Jack O' Lanterns Pumpkin Patch and Mr. Jingles Christmas Trees DTC brands), The Holiday Shop will enable Uber Eats customers to order seasonal items online for home delivery.
Starting Friday, Oct. 1, The Holiday Shop by Mr. Jack O' Lanterns Pumpkin Patch will allow Uber Eats customers in Los Angeles and San Diego, Calif. and West Palm Beach, Fla. to order a variety of Halloween-themed items directly on the Uber Eats app.
Customers will be able to search for their Halloween items using seasonal emojis including a ghost and pumpkin. To order, shoppers can type the emoji into the search bar on the Uber Eats app, and The Holiday Shop will pop up in available cities.
After Halloween, the shop will transition into upcoming holidays and continue to rotate seasonally while it expands to more markets. For the upcoming winter holiday season, The Holiday Shop will feature Mr. Jingles Christmas Trees, which operates in cities nationwide with trees freshly cut and delivered from local farms.
Increasingly, on-demand delivery platforms are opening digital stores that combine the curated assortment and quick fulfillment of a brick-and-mortar outlet with the connectivity and reach of a website or app. In August 2020, DoorDash took the pioneering step of opening its own online storefronts, stocked by participating retailers. Known as DashMart, this banner offers both household essentials and local restaurant products for on-demand delivery.
And in September 2021, Instacart teamed up with Kroger to open an online convenience store with on-demand delivery. Known as Kroger Delivery Now, the new service features an assortment of 25,000 convenience items from Kroger’s inventory and fulfills orders from the grocer’s existing network of more than 2,700 stores across a variety of banners. Instacart customers will also be able to shop the Kroger Delivery Now convenience assortment for 30-minute fulfillment via the new Instacart Convenience Hub.
"Our goal is to make Uber a destination that customers can rely on to get whatever they need when they need it, so creating a Holiday Shop that offers festive items for all types of celebrations was a no brainer," said Raj Beri, Uber global head of grocery and new verticals. "We're extremely proud to leverage our technology and logistics expertise to support a family-owned small business and enable them to deliver high-quality, seasonal items right to their customers without losing that personal local touch."
"Over the last few years, we've seen our customer base become more interested in having our products delivered rather than coming into our brick-and-mortar locations," said Brandon Helfer, Owner-Operator of Jack O' Lanterns Pumpkin Patch. "With this partnership, we will be able to fulfill more delivery requests and get our customers into the holiday spirit without them having to leave their home or office. Our exclusive relationships with growers and farmers around the country, along with this new partnership with Uber, will allow us to accommodate more customers and deliver more of what makes the holidays special."
Uber Pass and Eats Pass holders will receive a $0 delivery Fee on eligible orders of $15 or more.