Our mission has been to grow and empower local economies since our earliest days. Connecting customers with the best of their communities has helped local merchants grow their businesses and provided Dashers access to meaningful earnings opportunities.
This mission is all-the-more important as people across the country are feeling the pressure right now from economic headwinds and may be facing challenges making ends meet. Rising prices are top of mind for many people who are struggling to keep up, and local businesses are facing uncertainty on the road ahead.
That’s why we’re doubling down on our efforts to improve and expand our products, policies, and partnerships as part of our ongoing commitment to help merchants, Dashers, and consumers build economic resilience in our communities.
Expanding Access and Opportunity For Dashers
Dashing provides supplemental earnings opportunities that help Dashers reach financial goals, pay bills, save, and invest while being flexible enough to fit around their full-time jobs, caretaking responsibilities, college classes, and other commitments. We’re proud that Dashers earned over $13 billion in 2022* using our platform at a time when the ability to earn supplemental income has taken on even greater importance.
Dashers come to DoorDash for a variety of reasons, with many valuing the ability to balance dashing with other work. According to a recent Dasher survey, almost half (44%) of all Dashers said they have a separate full-time job (at least 30 hours a week) and most of them dash to achieve specific financial goals. This comes as 88% of Dashers have other income or responsibilities, including those who are self-employed, students, stay-at-home caregivers, or retired.
No matter why Dashers choose to earn with DoorDash, we have continued to make investments back in the Dasher community so they can maximize their earnings. We believe in expanding the opportunities for people to earn on our platform, whether that’s per order or other ways to earn like Earn by Time, as well as offering newer options for Dashers that fit their needs like our Package Pickup service or delivering groceries, flowers, or other items. We strive to meet Dashers where they are and empower them to earn when, where, and how they want.
We’ve also recently announced various initiatives aimed at helping Dashers hit their financial goals, which is particularly important at a time when many need it more than ever. From new products like our integration with GasBuddy that allows Dashers to find the most affordable gas in their area, to our financial empowerment partnerships with trusted partners, including the National Urban League, UnidosUS, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the International Rescue Committee – all designed to help Dashers and others earn, save, and invest. We’re also focused on ways to make dashing safer, rolling out new safety features like SafeDash™ Check-In to help Dashers feel comfortable and empowered to continue to earn with greater peace of mind.
Even as we continue to innovate to better serve Dashers, some things have stayed the same: Reliable pay remains a top priority. We ensure Dashers know the minimum amount they will earn for each dash, and Dashers always receive 100% of tips customers provide to DoorDash on top of base pay, incentives, and more. The Dasher app also allows all Dashers to track their earnings broken out after each dash and in weekly totals, and products like DasherDirect provide participating Dashers with access to cash after every dash (with no deposit fees) and 2% cashback rewards.
We know our platform works best when it works for Dashers. Empowering everyone with choice and flexibility in ways to earn helps expand access to opportunity and strengthen our communities.
Making Partnering With DoorDash More Rewarding For Merchants
Empowering merchants is at the heart of DoorDash, which is why we offer a variety of products and services to help power the growth of all types of businesses on our platform and meet their unique needs. Our merchant partners have shared with us the challenges they face in running their businesses, from staffing shortages to rising costs across the board.
We offer a variety of ways to help local restaurants leverage our platform to grow and reach new customers in an easy and affordable way. New restaurants on DoorDash’s U.S. Marketplace must first sign a contract before receiving orders. Local restaurants can choose from a variety of products and services, including flexible pricing options to meet their needs. We offer industry-leading tiered Partnership Plans for these restaurants to choose between commission price points that work best with their business, as well as Storefront, which allows them to take orders directly from consumers and power delivery through DoorDash without paying a commission. With many business owners facing difficult decisions, we want merchants to be able to easily choose what’s right for their business when they need it.
The results are clear: local businesses that choose to partner with DoorDash are thriving, with over $38 billion in sales for merchants generated through our platform in 2022*. Helping restaurants grow their sales and reach new customers takes on new meaning in today’s economic climate, and merchants understand the value DoorDash has provided — a majority said in our latest Economic Impact Report that without DoorDash, their overall revenue (58%), new customer growth (52%), and revenue growth (51%) would have been lower.
Putting restaurants in control of their experience on our platform is key, so we have made it easy for restaurants to develop their store page, set their own menu prices, and leverage best practices to drive customer loyalty and growth. Local restaurants can also easily change plans and request removal if they need. We’re always working to provide merchants with the tools they need to perform their best and provide a positive customer experience by keeping their online menu prices as affordable as possible.
“DoorDash is our hardest working employee: never calls in sick and always gets the job done. As a family run restaurant, it is important for us to serve our community. DoorDash’s reliability allowed us to continue to reach our dedicated customers and find new customers as we have navigated recent economic changes.”
— Matthew Moody, owner of Ironwood Kitchen (Albuquerque, NM)
Having this flexibility to do what fits best for their business priorities when they face shifting economic challenges empowers business owners and helps local merchants across our communities thrive.
Improving Affordability and Clarity For Customers
We know that every dollar counts right now, so we’re constantly working to make sure our services remain affordable and accessible for everyone. In fact, we reduced average consumer fees per order by over 8% in 2022* to help ease burdens on our customers.
Unclear fees can also be frustrating for customers. That’s why we provide information multiple times about the fees we charge. If a customer is seeking additional clarity about a fee, they can tap the information button next to the line item at check-out, which will provide additional context. These fees importantly help us fund a variety of costs associated with operating our platform, like Dasher pay and insurance, merchant credit card processing fees, marketing, and customer support.
By providing this transparency for consumers, we can help ensure that they trust us and continue returning to our platform, driving incremental sales for merchants and greater earnings opportunities for Dashers — even during the most challenging times.
We’ve long worked to ensure everyone can enjoy the convenience of local delivery and have seen our footprint in low-income and rural communities continue to grow. Approximately 37% of our U.S. consumers in 2021 were located in low-income communities, and 30% were located in rural communities — increasing choice and convenience for more people in more areas.
The resilience of merchants, Dashers, and consumers who use our platform inspires us as we continue empowering local economies so every business in our neighborhoods can succeed and every community can flourish.
* From Q4 2022 earnings
