It’s almost hysterical that companies are stepping out of their comfort zones to push the limits of revenue and beyond their main mission. This has happened in recent years with Disney merging into the streaming business, Amazon extending into podcasting, and Walmart rivaling the big guys with drone delivery. Surprisingly, many of these companies (and more unlisted) are pleasantly surprised when their new ventures take off beyond their original priority. Uber is no exception to the rule.
At the beginning of March, Uber announced a new feature that allows users to book dinner reservations, concert tickets, and other events through the existing Uber app.
New features that expand the ride-sharing business are not new to Uber. The addition of Uber Eats grocery brought convenient delivery services during COVID-19 and still continues to this day, seeing that that arm of the business alone brought in revenue of $2.42 billion in comparison to the $2.28 billion generated by the core ride-hailing part of the business. Their strategy remains at a point where new opportunities continue to outperform the core mission of the Uber company, and they are following this same plan of action with Explore.
Uber Explore will appear to users as a new tab in the current app. Tickets can be purchased within the user’s Uber Wallet or an added credit card.
Other categories include the ability to purchase food and drink, check out art and culture, nightlife and bars, music and shows, or provide personalized recommendations based on past Uber travel. There will be a function where users can immediately book a ride to the purchased destination.
The Explore feature is available in the following US cities and states: Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas; Houston; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; New Orleans; Orlando, Florida; San Antonio; San Francisco and Seattle. It’s also live in New Jersey, upstate New York, and Mexico City, Mexico.
