Just Eat Takeaway.com moves to next stage of in-car ordering system roll-out following UK launch

Following the launch of its first in-car ordering system in the UK in December, Just Eat Takeaway.com is rolling out the experience to more countries across Europe.

Customers in Ireland, Spain and Italy can now use text/touch commands to place orders using the in-car screen, with the feature also rolling out to Germany and Austria over the coming weeks.

The app is currently available in the Mercedes-Benz In-Car App Store for customers of select car lines including the new CLE , E-Class, C-Class and GLC with an activated “Entertainment Package Plus”.

Just Eat is also working with other major car brands to roll this out further and test similar features.

“We want to fit seamlessly into the lives of our network so we’re always looking at how best to evolve our technology to make using our platform as convenient as possible,” says Jessica Hall, Chief Product Officer, Just Eat Takeaway.com.

“For our customers, this means making the ordering journey as easy as possible, whether that’s supporting them to try new foods or find last minute groceries. For our partners, we want to provide them with a consistent end-to-end experience, to help them reach more customers and grow their businesses. Testing brand new innovations is one of the ways we do this.”

Elsewhere, the company recently deployed a Group Ordering feature which provides customers with the ability to create a shared basket and invite friends and family to add items, make edits, with the order initiator having full visibility before checking out and paying.

It has also enhanced its discovery experience through carousels to make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for, whether that be a grocery shop, flowers, or their favourite takeaway.

And to help make the onboarding experience for partners easier, Just Eat has introduced Menu AI, a tool that is designed to help speed-up the process by using AI to capture partners’ menus and placing it on the firm’s platform.

Hall says: “As we move further into grocery and retail, we’re also tailoring our product to suit the needs of these new partners. This includes increasing the number of product lines we can host and for grocery partners specifically, we’ve developed an in-store picking app.”

“This is compatible with the hardware used by our partners to help manage orders from JET more efficiently. It also makes it easier to manage missing items, giving options to substitute. Currently live in the UK, we plan on rolling this out to more markets over the coming months.”

To help deliver a consistent experience to partners and consumers, Just Eat is unifying its apps and websites across its markets into one single global app platform.

Hall comments: “We're making great progress and have recently rolled out one app to more markets including Germany, Austria and, most recently, the Netherlands. By the end of the year, we will have rolled out to the vast majority of the European countries we operate in.”

“Unifying our app platform allows us to streamline operations, reduce costs and enables us to innovate effectively, by building and rolling out impactful new product features for our wider consumer and partner base in one go.”

“We want to always be ahead of what’s coming next, and to help our customers and partners have the best experience possible. As well as these features and initiatives, we’ll continue to innovate and test new products to drive the future of everyday convenience.”

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Food and grocery delivery is a key focus area for the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, which are now closed for entries.

The awards, sponsored by Scala, CADS, 3D Cloud, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2025, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Key 2024 dates

Friday, 25th October: Award entry deadline 

Tuesday, 29th October: 2024 shortlist revealed

30th October-6th November: Judging days

Thursday, 21st November: Winners announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.