A delivery giant has launched a new AI-powered service allowing shoppers to order food, groceries and other essentials through WhatsApp.
Customers can message Just Eat using ordinary conversational requests rather than searching through menus themselves.
They could ask it to “find me the best burgers nearby” or say they need dinner for four people with vegetarian options.
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The AI assistant will then suggest suitable businesses and products from Just Eat’s network of 100,000 UK partners.
Users can choose dishes, customise items and fill their basket within the WhatsApp conversation, as reported by What’s The Jam?
However, they will still need to switch to the Just Eat app for the final secure payment stage.
The company claims it is the first UK delivery platform to offer an integrated ordering journey through WhatsApp.
Although best known for takeaways, Just Eat’s partners now include supermarkets and retailers selling groceries, pharmacy items, beauty products and electronics.
The WhatsApp tool uses the same technology that powers the company’s AI Voice Assistant, which launched in Britain in January.
That feature lets customers speak or type naturally to receive recommendations rather than scrolling through large numbers of restaurants and products.
Just Eat said its technology had been designed to understand informal and loosely phrased requests before offering relevant suggestions.
Jörg Gerbig, chief corporate development officer at Just Eat Investor Relations, said: “As convenience becomes ever more important, we’ve been finding new ways to meet customers where they already are.
“WhatsApp is one of the UK’s most popular apps and this development, powered by our AI assistant, means our customers can access our thousands of partners across retail and grocery, all through sending a few messages.
“Whether it’s ordering a Saturday night pizza on the way home from a family day out, or last-minute ingredients for a dinner party, browsing and selecting your orders is quicker and easier than ever before.”
The UK rollout follows trials of WhatsApp ordering in Europe.
Just Eat first announced the service in May, initially targeting Spain and the Netherlands, before launching direct ordering in Spain.
The company said the WhatsApp journey differs from existing business chats, which are often restricted to customer support.
Its version offers what it calls a complete “chat-to-basket” experience, although payment remains within the Just Eat app.
Derya Matras, vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at WhatsApp owner Meta, said the expansion showed how the messaging platform was increasingly being used by businesses to turn everyday conversations into purchases.
The new service is available to UK customers from October 1.
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