DoorDash expands to Japan
DoorDash, the largest on-demand logistics platform for door-to-door delivery in the US, has officially launched in Japan.
The new service, which is getting underway in Sendai, marks the company’s first market expansion in Asia and its third country outside the U.S., including Australia and Canada.
DoorDash says that Japan, as “one of the most restaurant-dense countries in the world”, offers a “unique market opportunity”.
“We are thrilled to bring DoorDash to Japan,” said DoorDash CEO and Co-founder Tony Xu. “Our strategy has always been to empower local economies, especially in the suburban markets that are historically underserved yet the appetite for connectivity between merchants and customers is high.
“We look forward to helping power the Sendai economy by helping merchants to grow, connecting consumers to those merchants, and creating jobs and flexible earnings opportunities for Dashers.”
Using the DoorDash app, consumers in Sendai will be able to order from hundreds of local restaurants.
In addition to the marketplace app, DoorDash is also offering Sendai merchants access to its Storefront product, an online ordering system that allows customers to place takeout and delivery orders directly with the restaurant. Merchants who are looking for ways to reach their existing customer bases can add Storefront to their websites to implement online ordering seamlessly.
For the Japan launch, Storefront will be commission-free through the end of the year, with the only cost to the merchants being payment processing fees.
Both Storefront and the DoorDash app power delivery and takeout. Customers can either place an order and Dashers deliver to the specified location or they can order products in advance and pick them up when ready.
