Doordash is adding an unconventional pay model for its gig workers: a set hourly minimum rate.
Workers can choose to work under a specific rate, which is decided by the company, while they’re actively dashing instead of getting paid different rates for each task. Workers are able to switch between the new model and the original task-based pay system. They’ll still receive tips either way.
The update is part of Doordash’s first-ever product event. The food and goods delivery platform is rolling out a number of features Wednesday aimed at consumers, workers, and merchants who list their products on the app.
“This is like the next chapter in Doordash’s evolution, we’re going from being a restaurant force to a thing that brings many more categories onto the platform,” says Rajat Shroff, the company’s head of product and design. “Then there’s like 10 more chapters that we’ll be writing over the next 10 years.”
In order to avoid downtime, the company will let workers set where they are and where they want to be delivering. They then can receive orders along that commute. If a person was going from one city to another to work, they could pick up work along the way so that the drive was also profitable.
Doordash workers are also now able to share safety information with up to five contacts, which includes live location, whether a gig has ended, and if the worker requests emergency services.
Consumers, meantime, are set to see what Doordash is calling its “biggest app update ever.” The company is rolling out a universal search function, so shoppers can search for a specific item they want at any store. Doordash is introducing the ability to have multiple carts. For example, a person who wants to add grocery ideas throughout the week can continue to place things in their cart while also still being able to order lunch right away. In the past, consumers had to start over with their carts when they went to a different store. Doordash is also dedicating specific navigation tabs at the bottom of the screen for grocery and retail.
“When you enter a big mall, it’s easy to get lost and overwhelmed. Our browse tab is like a modern day digital mall directory,” Doordash’s design head Helena Seo said during the the company’s “Dash Forward” event this week. Shroff put it another way during a media Q&A: “We’ve spent a lot of time onboarding those merchants and stores and this release we’ve now made it really easy for consumers to find those stores.”
Doordash is also letting consumers tip for up to 30 days after their orders have been delivered. In the past, consumers could solely add a tip as they were checking out. But sometimes shoppers went above and beyond, or people wanted to see how an order went, before setting a tip. Doordash confirmed that consumers won’t be able to lower or take away tips, which is a practice often called “tip baiting.” People will set large tips on their orders so that they’re picked up faster, only for them to then remove that tip or make it a much lower amount.
“What [dashers] see in the offer screen is something they get, and that’s something we stand behind,” Cody Aughney, head of dasher and logistics business teams, tells Fast Company.
In an effort to make food more accessible, the company is enabling SNAP/EBT payments. Once consumers enter their assistance benefits, they will also receive two months free of Doordash’s subscription offering, Dashpass.
Merchants who subscribe to restaurants on Doordash’s marketplace are also able to access personalized growth recommendations, which include things like improving order accuracy or adding pictures. Restaurants can also start adding store reward to encourage repeat business.
“The mission is to become the most trusted partner for our merchants,” Shroff says. “You will see us adding more and more options for merchants.”
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