Like it or not, Uber is growing up. What used to be a controversial mobile transportation app service is now expanding to food delivery and beyond.
When I say beyond, I mean plans for same day merchant delivery. There are plans to train Uber drivers and couriers for a merchant delivery program to get goods from stores to online shoppers in one day. They’re already 400 companies conspiring to make same day Uber delivery a reality. These stores include Neiman Marcus, Louis Vuitton, and Hugo Boss. They’re also allying with mobile shopping app Spring. Yesterday, April 28, 2015, Spring sent emails promoting Spring+Uber services for companies like Big Bang Jewelry, Industry Standard and Outdoor Voices. For a limited time only, these two companies have joined forces to deliver these companies’ goods in a three hour period. But shops like Big Bang Jewelry are a lot less known than a mega corporation like Neiman Marcus. And they have less volume to move around. Eventually, Uber wants to take passengers and merchandise orders at the same time through one app. One spokesperson said, “Experimenting and finding new, creative ways for the Uber app to provide even greater value to our riders and driver partners is a way of life at Uber.”
I respect their quest for expansion, but let’s be cautious about it. While these merchant services were broadcast last summer, I still doubt Uber is ready to take on deliveries from chains like Neiman Marcus and Louis Vuitton. Teaming up with Spring is a great move, but they should keep their focus on the smaller businesses first. If these partnerships are successful, then move on to the bigger more high-end stores. What if they go deliver for the high-end stores, only to find they don’t have the resources or manpower to meet deliveries or consumer demands? What good would that do anybody?