DoorDash’s mission to empower local economies is reflected through our work to grow and empower Dashers, merchants, consumers, and the communities we serve every day. Today, we’re proud to release the DoorDash Economic Impact Report conducted by Oxford Economics, showcasing how the platform propelled direct, indirect, and induced impact for local economies by providing flexible earning opportunities for Dashers, expanding the reach of local merchants, and connecting customers to meals, groceries, flowers, gifts, and other items in 2021.
“This report showcases how DoorDash’s platform added billions to the U.S. GDP and empowered millions of Dashers, more than half a million merchants, and countless diverse communities as they navigated an uncertain economic environment in 2021,” said DoorDash’s Head of Policy Research, Cheryl Young. “While we’re proud of the statistics in the report, there are also stories of impact that can’t be quantified and are inspiring. From a local business growing to meet the number of new orders to helping a college student earn on her own time to powering the delivery of a meal for a sick relative, DoorDash provides value for the Dashers, merchants, and consumers who use our platform.”
Overall, in 2021, DoorDash supported an estimated $68.9 billion in U.S. GDP with over 500,000 merchants active on the DoorDash platform in the U.S. that same year. DoorDash also:
Facilitated over $25 billion in sales in the U.S. for its Marketplace merchants in 2021; and
Connected merchants to new customers – 77% of surveyed consumers use DoorDash to try a new restaurant they would not have otherwise tried, and 77% of those consumers placed subsequent orders from those same restaurants.
Making these deliveries across the globe, over 6.3 million Dashers earned income on their terms by delivering meals, convenience products, food, flowers, and other local goods to consumers. Facing volatile economic conditions, many Dashers used DoorDash to supplement their income on a flexible schedule that fit their lifestyles. In fact:
In any given quarter of 2021, 90% of Dashers delivered less than 10 hours per week;
Dashing provides a source of income for 59% of Dashers who left a full-time or part-time job, and 65% of respondents dash to make up for lost income or reduced hours in their existing role; and
40% of Dashers earned less than 10% of their total household income from dashing in the previous month, showing how dashing supplements income earned from full-time jobs, partners, parents, and other sources.
The report also demonstrates the different ways that the 1.39 billion consumer orders around the world supported individuals in need. DoorDash is not only a convenient way to get a delicious meal or groceries, it’s also a crucial service to help loved ones as:
Almost 60% of respondents said they had used DoorDash to provide a meal for someone who could not leave their home or was unable to make food for themselves; and
Of those, 39% used DoorDash to deliver a meal to someone suffering from an acute illness, such as COVID-19 or the flu, and 37% sent a meal to someone who was recovering from a medical procedure or living with a chronic illness.
The report is being released alongside the launch of a multi-platform marketing campaign titled “A Neighborhood of Good in Every Order,” which brings to life DoorDash’s mission to grow and empower local economies, and showcases that, while an order may seem like a small thing, when consumers get their goods, businesses get business, and Dashers get paid. In addition to TV, the “A Neighborhood of Good in Every Order” campaign includes digital ads, paid and organic social, and a nationwide media buy of creative out-of-home placements that highlight the many ways in which everyday orders on DoorDash empower local economies, from creating and sustaining jobs through Dashers and store employees, to keeping small businesses alive in the convenience economy.
As people and businesses in the United States and globally grapple with the ongoing effects of the pandemic, inflation, and other economic challenges, we remain committed to continuing to empower local economies by providing flexible earning opportunities, expanding the reach of local businesses, and broadening the options available to consumers in communities one order at a time. Please find the full report here.
