Just Eat is piloting ordering via Whatsapp, enabling users to converse with an AI assistant to discover and select their order.
The “entire discovery and selection process happens right in the WhatsApp chat”, Just Eat explained, with the aggregator’s own app used for the final, secure payment step.
The company claimed it to be “Europe’s first food and retail ordering journey on WhatsApp”.
“By introducing Europe’s first WhatsApp ordering flow, Just Eat Takeaway.com are not just adding a new channel, we are redefining the paradigm of convenience,” said Mert Öztekin, CTO of Just Eat Takeaway.com.
“This innovation is a core component of our evolution from a transactional menu application into a truly intelligent AI life assistant that understands customer intent in real time. We are proud to be the first to market in Europe, proving that Just Eat is at the absolute forefront of AI-driven transformation.”
The WhatsApp ordering option utilises Just Eat’s own in-app AI assistant, which can interpret natural language – including conversational and less structured input – to provide relevant restaurant and retail recommendations.
In January, Just Eat launched a voice version of the AI assistant in its app in the UK that can generate a basket of ingredients from a user’s meal prompt at their local supermarket for rapid delivery.
The company said the assistant was “designed to understand what people are trying to ask, no matter how loosely or informally they phrase it” and allowed users to “think out loud about what they want for dinner”.
The UK followed weeks of trials locally, which saw a significantly higher conversion rate for users who utilised the AI voice assistant, Just Eat added.
The WhatsApp ordering option will roll out initially in Spain and the Netherlands in the coming months.
“Chatting to businesses to check travel plans, make a reservation or browse a catalogue is already a way of life for many people around the world,” said Geraldine Bouma, country director Benelux at WhatsApp owner Meta.
“We’re excited that more people in Europe will soon have the opportunity to use WhatsApp to order food and get things done.”
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