Finnish e-commerce platform Wolt has launched an update to its app. With the update, the company wants to take a step towards becoming a cross-category trading platform. It gives retailers more opportunities to showcase their products to a wide audience.
Founded in Helsinki in 2014, Wolt is a well-known fast delivery platform. It started with dark shops, self-storage, from where products were quickly shipped. From 2021, it focuses on order delivery for restaurants and retail stores. In 2023, the company expanded to Austria and Iceland. The company is now active in more than 30 markets worldwide. Restarting the application takes place in all its markets.
More than 20% of all orders on Wolt are in the retail sector
According to Wolt, it has processed more than 700 million orders in more than 30 countries over the past ten years. It has generated a cumulative sales volume of over 15 billion euros for local partners. Currently, more than 20 percent of all orders on the platform are for the retail sector. Orders are delivered to customers within 35 minutes.
From store-oriented searches to product-oriented searches
Instead of selecting a store first, users can now browse products first. This allows them to compare products of several brands at the same time. The app now also groups results by topic. For example, when a customer searches for “protein,” they will see protein powder from drugstores, protein bars from supermarkets, and high-protein foods from restaurants.
Increased reach for retailers
For online sellers, the update means their products will appear in more places than just their respective Wolt stores. This increases reach and conversion rates. The new product-oriented structure also allows salespeople to reach potential customers earlier in their decision-making process.
Transformation into a comprehensive platform of local trade
With these changes, Wolt continues its transformation from a food delivery service to a comprehensive local commerce platform. “Since our offering has long since expanded beyond the restaurant sector, we also had to further develop the user experience so that customers can order almost everything they need through Wolt in the future. Many people don’t even realize that they can already find things like shampoo, pet food, toys, flowers or gifts with us. This update changes that and makes discovering and shopping on Wolt faster, more intuitive and more personal,” explains Director of Consumer Product Management Julial Wolt.
“We are building the infrastructure for how people will interact with their city in the future”
“Our customers’ needs have always driven how we design Wolt. Local commerce is changing rapidly, and people want to browse and shop across categories as easily as they order food. Our redesign enables this while creating new opportunities for local businesses,” continues Niemann. “We are building the infrastructure for how people will interact with their city in the future.”