Taxi app Uber will trial a home delivery service in the US, potentially taking on tech titans Amazon and Google in the e-commerce logistics space.
In a blog post yesterday, Uber announced its ‘Corner Store’ pilot program will run in Washington DC for the next few weeks.
Items such as allergy medicine, diapers and toothpaste can be ordered straight to a customer’s door through the Uber app and be charged directly to their Uber account.
Uber is offering free delivery on the items and although the inventory currently includes around 100 items, Uber is taking requests on other items customers would like to see made available.
And while Uber says Corner Store is an experiment, it says the more its customers “love it, the more likely it will last”.
Wired is reporting the move is a play at Amazon and Google in the logistics space, aimed at transforming Uber from a pure transportation app into a fully-fledged logistics company.
Amazon and Google have also stepped up their game in the same day delivery space recently, according to Wired, with Amazon expanding its Get It Today service and Google adding more retailers to its Shopping Express service.
Uber has already disrupted taxi and public transport networks the world over, but CEO Travis Kalanick may be looking to further diversify the brand with a long-term vision for Uber.
The growing tech company, which started in the US five years ago, hasn’t been afraid to take competition head on in the past, even playing dirty with rivals Lyft.
Kirsten Robb is a former journalist at SmartCompany. Previously, she worked at News Corp as a property reporter for Leader Newspapers and the Herald Sun, and holds a Masters of Journalism at Melbourne University.
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