Uber announced the introduction of Uber Direct, a new and operationally efficient way for Canadian retailers to manage their delivery process, reach their customers, and quickly deliver right to their doorstep—without contact. Ahead of the holiday season, a much-needed evolution of e-commerce and fulfillment, Uber is also pleased to announce its collaboration with Bond Brand Loyalty, Inc. to bring a new purchase and redemption experience to brands and their clients’ millions of reward program members.

The transformative solution that leverages Uber Direct’s technology allows retail e-commerce and loyalty program operators to meet customers’ rising expectations for fast and convenient delivery. Customers who make purchases or redeem loyalty points for rewards can have their items delivered within hours versus days via traditional delivery methods.

Uber Direct builds upon Uber Eats’ recent expansion into grocery and convenience-store delivery. Retailers and manufacturers can now leverage Uber’s technology as an operationally efficient way to move goods between locations and into the hands of customers. With the scale and reliability of Uber, Bond is setting a new standard of fulfillment and delivery, connecting the last mile of e-commerce with loyalty.

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“With the pandemic, delivery has evolved from a luxury to a utility as businesses look for—and consumers expect—real-time fulfillment,” said Ronnie Gurion, General Manager, Uber for Business. “We’re pleased to partner with Bond Brand Loyalty to accelerate their delivery standard for loyalty point rewards from days to within hours.”

“Solving complex customer challenges in this new norm requires new approaches and innovative digital solutions that give consumers confidence that their items are assuredly en route, and a rewarding immediate gratification feeling,” said Sean Claessen, Chief Strategy Officer for Bond. “By combining Bond’s leading customer experience and loyalty thinking and platform with Uber’s best-in-class technology, we’re ushering in a new era of customer experience. This move is part of the next step in Bond’s broader customer-linking plans and we are exceedingly excited about the road ahead with Uber.”

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Research shows that consumers will form new brand loyalties based on availability and delivery speed. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of consumers surveyed said same-day delivery increased their brand loyalty. In addition, Bond’s Loyalty Report found that the top drivers of loyalty when it comes to redemption include ease of the redemption process and time it takes to receive redeemed rewards (a 6.8X satisfaction lift).

Consumers have prioritized convenience and immediacy for years, declaring in research that nearly a third of them are entirely willing to pay a premium for an increased level of service. And our pilot with Uber confirms the attitudinal data holds true in real life, with consumers demonstrating significantly higher satisfaction, two-fold (2X) promoters in NPS scoring, and an increased propensity to repeat a transaction like this again.

Having already worked to integrate Uber rides and eats into the rewards experience of several major bank credit card reward portfolios, popular consumer engagement programs, contests, and promotions, Bond is excited to bring a better experience to customers now in delivery and fulfillment of other items they’re after—with the scale, reliability, and convenience of Uber.

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