TECH

Postmates Introduces Curbside Pickup to Limit Physical Contact

Postmates will let all merchants in the United States offer curbside pickup, protecting them and their customers during the COVID-19 outbreak.
In a press release, the on-demand delivery platform announced a safety feature that enables minimal contact between merchants and customers. It relies on in-app communication to alert a merchant when the customer arrives, stopping groups of people from gathering inside a physical store where germs and illnesses might spread. Several U.S. states are starting to lift restrictions and reopen their local economies, and that's why Postmates acted now to roll out this capability.
Customers will check-in upon arriving at the store but remain outside, and then the merchant meets them curbside to hand off the order. In addition, Postmates' fleet, which normally picks up and delivers items to users at their doorsteps, can also take advantage of curbside pickup to protect themselves.
"Restaurants and retailers across the country are ready to open their doors again and we've created Curbside Pickup to help them open quickly and serve customers as smoothly as possible," Postmates CEO Bastian Lehmann said.
Competitors such as Uber Eats and DoorDash are also implementing safety features protecting merchants and customers. Notably, they're encouraging contactless delivery to eliminate contact amongst all parties. Expect the entire on-demand delivery industry to retain these safety features even after the pandemic concludes. 

by Justin Herrick