Deliveroo shakes up delivery options with launch of Signature

Deliveroo is revamping how customers and hospitality businesses interact with the launch of its new platform Signature, allowing diners to order directly from restaurants’ websites.

Launched at a time when delivery services have been the lifeline for many hospitality businesses in Australia, Signature enables restaurants and cafes to offer delivery to customers from their own branded websites, while using Deliveroo’s logistics and customer support.

Businesses that sign on to the platform also receive access to data analytics that were previously off limits on the standard Deliveroo app.

Morgan Hipworth, owner of Bistro Morgan and guest judge on Junior MasterChef Australia, says the new platform is “a really nifty” way to offer delivery from his branded website but it does come at a premium.

“A lot of customers would prefer to be dealing with the brand directly,” Hipworth tells SmartCompany.

Hipworth has been trialling Signature for the past several months at his artisan bakery located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Windsor. It allows him to offer on-demand delivery alongside his pre-order service from one tab on his website. He’s also maintaining his regular listing on Deliveroo’s standard platform.

While Signature helps him offer streamlined delivery services from his website, Hipworth explains that fees are more expensive than on the standard Deliveroo app.

“It’s actually more expensive for me, believe it or not,” Hipworth says.

Deliveroo has declined to respond to SmartCompany’s requests for more information about Signature’s fee structure. Businesses that have trialled the service have either paid a commission rate or negotiable flat fee.

“I know [Deliveroo] has different fees depending on how far deliveries are going,” Hipworth says.

The official launch of Signature strategically coincides with the ongoing coronavirus lockdown of Greater Sydney, where hospitality businesses are restricted to selling takeaway and delivery services only.

Ed McManus, chief executive of Deliveroo Australia, said Signature aligns with the business’ mission to support its restaurant partners throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

“From the outset of the pandemic, our stance has remained the same: we want Australians to continue to support local restaurants,” he said.

A new function of the Signature platform is data analytics, allowing businesses to collect data about what their customers are ordering and spending.

It’s this new feature that Kenny Graham, owner of Mary’s Group in Sydney, finds most valuable.

Graham tells SmartCompany Signature gives him the ability to learn about his customers preferences and how they interact with his group of seven hospitality businesses, such as The Lansdowne, Mary’s Newtown and The Unicorn Hotel.

“With Signature you can look at if they are a Deliveroo customer, or a Mary’s customer,” he says.

Graham says Deliveroo is now offering access to the customer’s contact details, which in turn allows his business to better target marketing communications.

“When people started out on all these things it was just about sending EDMs to as many people as possible, but now it’s more specific,” he says.

Graham says while hospitality businesses using Deliveroo must operate within strict parameters to succeed on the platform, there’s scope to negotiate with Deliveroo for different results. 

“It’s about negotiating with your Deliveroo representative, and putting pressure back on them to get the best outcome,” he says.