Uber Stresses ‘Togetherness’ in New Product Rollouts
At Uber’s 2024 Go-Get product showcase, held May 15 in New York City, the theme was “togetherness,” as CEO Dara Khosrowshahi emphasized in his opening remarks. “The power of being together is more important than ever,” noted Khosrowshahi, adding a little later that “togetherness has a direct benefit on our happiness.” With its latest services, San Francisco-based Uber is aiming to enable closer relationships among people – including through groceries.
One new service, introduced at Go-Get by Head of Global Membership Danielle Sheridan, offers half-price Uber One memberships for college students – just $4.99 a month – with no delivery fee and up to 10% off orders. Uber has entered into partnerships with Domino’s, Taco Bell and Starbucks to provide special discounts for students, who can also make use of their Uber One membership to purchase groceries. The service is launching across the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as other countries.
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A little later, Director of Grocery and Retail Partnerships Beryl Sanders enthusiastically revealed that Uber Eats had teamed up with Costco Wholesale Corp. on delivery. “Who doesn’t love that famous Kirkland Signature?” she gushed, referring to the warehouse club chain’s famous private label line. Under the partnership, Uber Eats users who already have a Costco membership will be able to access special discounts, while Costco members can also get 20% off an annual Uber One membership. Sanders described the service as enabling shoppers to get the essentials they need for summer entertaining, at value prices. The collab is in effect now in select locations across the United States, Canada and Japan, with more to come.
Khosrowshahi was also pumped about the partnership with Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco, observing, “There simply is no better place to stock up.”
Also new from Uber were scheduled UberX shared rides; Uber Shuttle in the United States for trips to airports, concerts, sporting events and more; Uber Eats Lists, which allows users to discover and recommend restaurants; and, coming this summer, Uber Caregiver, which will enable care receivers to add caregivers directly to their profiles, enabling the caregivers to schedule rides and order medical items and groceries on behalf of those they’re taking care of.
Before guests went to examine the products on the show floor, they were treated to a brief conversation between Khosrowshahi and journalist, author and one-time First Lady of California Maria Shriver, in which they aimed to take the concept of togetherness “to the next level.” Shriver spoke about her work on Alzheimer’s disease and brain health following her father’s diagnosis with the illness in 2003, and how many cases of Alzheimer’s may be prevented through lifestyle changes. She also noted that as California’s First Lady, she had promoted family meals for better emotional and physical health among families. More recently, Shriver and her son, actor Patrick Schwarzenegger, created a protein bar, Mosh, to address brain health concerns, even taking the product on the popular “Shark Tank” program.
When asked by Khosrowshahi what she wanted to see in terms of human connection in 10 years, Shriver replied that she hoped for a “kinder, more collaborative world.” Through its new products, so, it seems, does Uber.
