DoorDash Launches Creator Program, AI Features & Dine-In Rewards

DoorDash Introduces New Features: Creator Program, Dine-In Rewards, and AI Enhancements

On Tuesday, DoorDash announced the launch of a new creator program designed to financially reward users for producing short-form video content directly within the application.

Alongside this, the company unveiled “Going Out,” a program that incentivizes patronage of local restaurants. Furthermore, several new artificial intelligence (AI) powered features were also introduced.

Creator Program Details

DoorDash believes that short-form videos created by local individuals will provide users with a preview of menu items before placing an order. Uber Eats previously initiated testing of a similar TikTok-style video feed last year, aiming to improve content discovery and restaurant promotion.

Currently, residents of 20 U.S. cities – including Atlanta, Austin, Miami, and San Francisco – are eligible to apply to become DoorDash Creators. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to create brief videos showcasing meals from local eateries.

Compensation will be provided for qualifying content, though DoorDash has not yet detailed the specific monetization structure. Expansion of the program to additional cities is planned throughout the remainder of the year.

“Going Out” – Rewards for Dining In

DoorDash is also rolling out “Going Out,” a feature initially tested in select locations. This allows DashPass subscribers to earn in-store rewards when dining at participating restaurants.

According to Parisa Sadrzadeh, Vice President of Strategy and Operations, “Going Out” enables users to access exclusive in-app offers and accumulate rewards with repeat visits.

Customers utilizing offers through “Going Out” have, on average, received $9 in value per order this year.

Rewards are currently available at thousands of restaurants across the U.S. and Australia. For a limited period, the feature is accessible to all DoorDash users, not solely DashPass members.

A new integration with SevenRooms, a company DoorDash acquired earlier this year, now allows users to directly book reservations within the DoorDash app.

AI-Powered Enhancements

The DoorDash app now incorporates new AI features, offering personalized recommendations on the homepage. These suggestions are based on a user’s order history, budgetary constraints, dietary needs, the time of day, and their current location.

A “Complement your Cart” section on the checkout page provides tailored suggestions for additions to grocery orders. This aims to simplify the process of finding relevant items and completing shopping lists.

AI smart tags have also been implemented, enabling users to easily locate specific items. These tags will appear on restaurant menus, allowing filtering by criteria such as vegetarian or high-protein options.

Austin Haugen, DoorDash’s VP of Product, explained that the system analyzes restaurant items using customer reviews, merchant descriptions, and item photos to infer characteristics like dietary suitability and flavor profiles.

“Once we infer this about the items, you’ll start to see these tags around the app,” Haugen stated.

These new tags will be available to users in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Finally, DoorDash now allows users to compare prices and view delivery estimates for a wider range of products, including beauty items, electronics, and pet supplies, in a unified interface. This functionality was previously limited to alcohol purchases.