DoorDash Uses AI to Streamline DashMart Supply Chain

Aiming to optimize product availability at its DashMart locations, DoorDash will deploy Relex Solutions’ artificial intelligence (AI)-driven supply chain planning solution.

The Relex solution will use machine learning (ML) to create forecasts to provide supply chain optimization for these locations, the companies announced Monday (Aug. 29) in a press release.

“We are excited to partner with DoorDash to automate and optimize forecasting and replenishment for their DashMart locations,” Relex Senior Vice President Sales, Americas Carlos Victoria said in the release. “We look forward to working with DoorDash to continue driving accuracy and efficiency in their supply chain operations.”

The announcement comes about six months after Relex, a Finnish software maker, raised €500 million ($568 million) in new investment capital through a fundraising round to help it better meet retailers’ needs for AI solutions during ongoing supply chain slowdowns.

Read more: Relex Solutions Raises $568M for Growth of AI Robot Fleet

Grocery stores and other retailers use Relex’s AI robots to better forecast “which products to buy, in what quantities, and where to best allocate space for the inventory in stores and warehouses,” according to a Feb. 17 Bloomberg report.

“Global supply chain disruptions were one of the reasons why we decided to do the round, to enable us to grow,” Relex CEO Mikko Karkkainen said at the time in an interview with Bloomberg. “The past couple of years have shown many companies vulnerabilities in their supply and value chains.”

The locations that will implement the technology belong to DashMart, the digital convenience store launched by DoorDash in 2020.

Read more: Convenience Stores Seek Sweet Spot Between Restaurants and On-Demand Grocers

As PYMNTS reported Aug. 17, consumers increasingly expect to get their food needs met on demand, and the convenience retail industry is right there, offering some of the benefits or purchasing both from a restaurant and from a grocery store.