Today in the Connected Economy: Meta Seeks a Slice of Restaurant Sales

Today in the connected economy, Meta hopes to tap into the digital food sale trend with an investment in Singapore’s ordering startup Take App.

Also, Uber Eats expands on its non-food delivery offerings by teaming up with Office Depot, and Grocery Outlet works with DoorDash to offer same-day deliveries.

Meta Looks to Gain Share of Restaurant Sales with WhatsApp Ordering

Meta is hoping to tap into revenue from the rise in digital food sales with its investment in Take App, a Singapore-based startup offering conversational commerce solutions for restaurants selling over the Meta-owned messaging service WhatsApp.

Founded by former Meta employee Youmin Kim, the startup provides an order form for sellers along with order management and analytics tools.

“In Southeast Asia, WhatsApp is the most common way to talk to business, but it incurs heavy operation costs as employees have to respond to a number of conversations,” Kim said. “There are ‘western’ CRM solutions that make this more efficient, but they are too expensive or difficult for our merchants. We focus on traditional businesses with a digital gap.”

Office Depot, Uber Eats Team on Office Supplies Delivery

Uber Eats is adding to its list of non-food delivery offerings by joining forces with Office Depot and its sister company OfficeMax.

Through the partnership, customers can purchase office and school supplies from more than 900 Office Depot and OfficeMax stores nationwide through the Uber Eats platform. The collaboration comes on the heels of a similar partnership between Uber Eats and The Body Shop.

“We know this is the busiest time of year for many, with back to school and even going back to the office, at Uber, we’re always looking for ways to make peoples’ lives easier by helping them get whatever they need — whenever they need it — delivered to their doorstep,” said Christian Freese, head of new verticals for Uber Eats in the U.S. and Canada.

DoorDash, Grocery Outlet Team on Same-Day Grocery Delivery

DoorDash and retailer Grocery Outlet hope to bring bargain prices to delivery customers with a partnership that will facilitate the on-demand delivery of low-priced groceries from 398 Grocery Outlet locations.

The program is also available through a DashPass subscription, which offers a $0 delivery fee on orders above $35. Grocery Outlet said in a news release it serves more than 1.5 million shoppers per week at prices that are “typically 40% to 70% below retail price.”

“DoorDash is committed to providing customers with all the selection they crave at affordable prices, in a way that’s convenient for them and their families,” said Shanna Prevé, vice president for business development at DoorDash. “As consumers face rising prices, we’re thrilled to partner with Grocery Outlet to provide consumers across the country with a new way to purchase more affordable groceries while maximizing their budgets.”

Digital Receipt Firm ReceiptHero Joins Visa Fintech Partner Connect

Receipt platform ReceiptHero has joined the Visa Fintech Partner Connect program, which connects clients in Europe with specially vetted tech providers.

The collaboration bolsters the company’s relationship with Visa and offers access to new markets in Europe, ReceiptHero said.

“Partnerships are a core part of what we do, and Visa’s Fintech Partner Connect program allows us to reach more Visa clients and partners in achieving next-level platform growth,” said ReceiptHero Chief Operating Officer Chris Moore.

MoneyLion, Zogo Partner to Promote Financial Literacy

MoneyLion, a digital financial services company, is working with financial literacy platform Zogo to provide financial education to the more than 3 million people who use MoneyLion’s services.

“The partnership offers an essential blend of holistic and technological innovation that for many years has been left out of the banking and education industries,” the companies said in a press release. “This is Zogo’s largest integration with a Fintech platform since its conception in 2018.”

The collaboration gives MoneyLion users access to Zogo’s “bite-sized education modules” through the MoneyLion app’s Today Feed content.

Splitit/Telispire Partnership Offers BNPL For High-Ticket Mobile Devices

Those who subscribe to Telispire’s mobile virtual operator network can now make installment payments due to a collaboration between Telispire and buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Splitit.

“As one of the country’s largest technology providers and aggregators for MVNOs, Telispire offers a turn-key mobile telecom service for local and regional operators, utilities, co-ops and cable companies,” Splitit said in a news release. “The growth of 5G and the success of larger operators and cable operators venturing into the MVNO market is driving even greater competition for subscribers.”

The release said Telispire has integrated Splitit’s Installments-as-a-Service platform into its technology stack and billing system, allowing any Telispire MVNO to offer installment payments to their subscribers for devices and services.