DoorDash has announced that it is now offering “ultra-fast” deliveries in NYC, promising to deliver groceries, snacks and other household goods in 10 to 15 minutes. For now, this service is being piloted at a new DashMart in Chelsea, with more locations and partners throughout the city coming in the next several months.
Starting Monday, customers within the delivery zone can order items and get them delivered by courier on an e-bike from the company’s DashMart warehouse. Because these kinds of deliveries require that couriers and warehouse staffers always be available, they will be treated as full-time DoorDash employees through the company’s new subsidiary called DashCorp, instead of as independent contractors like normal drivers.
“Millions of people across the country turn to platforms like DoorDash to earn supplemental income when, where and how they choose, providing them with unique flexibility and choice that is so valuable,” Christopher Payne, the president of DoorDash, said in a statement. “And now, we’re excited about the new employment opportunity that DashCorps offers for a different type of work.”
This latest move is coming at a time when rapid delivery is really taking off — thanks, in part, to the environment DoorDash and its contemporaries helped create. Consumers have gotten used to being able to order the food they want right to their door. Now they want that convenience extended to other items, and for it to happen even faster, which has yielded an entirely new breed of last-mile delivery startups.
For instance, JOKR launched in New York earlier this year, promising 15-minute delivery of groceries and non-prescription medication, and has since expanded into Boston. Instacart is also reportedly working on a similar service, and Built In NYC featured a new on-demand delivery startup called DOMI in its Future 5 feature on up-and-coming tech companies.
In other words, DoorDash is breaking into an increasingly crowded space — especially here in NYC. But if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s probably DoorDash.
“As the largest and most reliable logistics network in the U.S., DoorDash is positioned to enter this emerging industry and provide consistent quality, speed and convenience that customers know and trust,” Payne added. “Many New Yorkers already turn to DoorDash for their next meal or essentials purchases, which puts us in an exciting place to deliver on the promise of ultra-fast delivery.”
