Shopify and Uber are working together to offer same-day local delivery starting today in three major U.S. cities.
The UberRUSH program will be initially available to a select number of Shopify’s merchant clients in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco, but it’s expected to go to other cities over time.
Ottawa-based Shopify says merchants enrolled in the program will be able to provide their customers with the option of requesting an Uber pickup and delivery — which can be tracked with an app.
Uber offers a controversial alternative to conventional taxi service in many cities by using its mobile app and analytics to connect customers with drivers. The system adjusts ride prices to reflect supply and demand.
Shopify provides software for designing, building and managing sales across the web, mobile applications and stores. It’s core customer base is small and medium-sized merchants.
The company completed a successful public stock offering in late May on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. Its shares closed Tuesday at C$43.22 in Toronto, up from a low of C$30 on the first day of trading on May 21.
Its Uber deal follows a partnership last month with Amazon, which has agreed to provide Shopify merchants with a gateway to the Seattle-based ecommerce giant’s systems and warehouses.
