New data from Uber Eats confirms that on-demand delivery has become essential to the modern British Christmas, revealing a near 20% increase in total grocery orders on Christmas Eve alone last year. As the nation depends more than ever on doorstep delivery for festive survival, Uber Eats today announces the launch of new products for shoppers and merchants – including Live Order Editing, Batch Picking and a brand new gifting hub – to help manage the inevitable rush of the season.
Transforming the traditionally stressful Christmas shopping experience – from securing an online delivery slot in October to battling Christmas eve car parks – Uber Eats is placing convenience front and centre this year, helping customers manage the season’s pressures with tech-driven solutions. From emergency hosting supplies to the Christmas roast itself, Uber Eats is making festive shopping faster, easier, and more flexible than ever.
December 2024 saw a historic rush for the entire Christmas table to be delivered on-demand, with key items seeing huge spikes in search and sales on Uber Eats. Potatoes were the single most ordered grocery item on Uber Eats in December, while searches more than doubled for pigs in blankets, Champagne and mince pies in December. Brits even searched for over three tonnes of Turkey on Christmas Day itself.
Demand for festive gifting items on Uber Eats is also growing, with orders of gift supplies and gift sets more than doubling last December compared to the prior year. To help ensure Brits never turn up empty-handed or leave anyone out, Uber Eats is this year launching an on-demand gifting hub featuring partners such as Boots and John Lewis. The gifting hub will be a one-stop-shop to delight friends and family, with inventory ranging from cards and candles to perfume, Prosecco, and even AirPods delivered to their door.
To help merchants meet this moment and further capitalise on growing demand, Uber Eats is rolling out a bundle of product features designed to make the peak trading period run even more smoothly for partners and customers:
Live order editing: change items or quantities up until your shopper puts them in the cart—no need to cancel your order or start over. Just tap ‘Add items’ or ‘Edit items’ on your order-tracking screen to update your cart with more festive favourites.
Replacement preferences: if an item in your order isn’t available, you can now decide exactly how you’d like it replaced — plus, with the help of AI, we’ll suggest smart replacements based on price, nutrition, and your past orders. Soon, your choices will be saved automatically for future orders.
Pick orders in batches to save time: in-store staff can now collect the items for multiple orders at once so they can organise ‘batch picking’ by each section of the store and make the packing process more efficient.
Browse colours and sizes of the same items: this new ‘variants’ product will help with the listing and shopping of closely related items on the same product detail page, so picking the perfect shade of lipstick for a Christmas party is now as straightforward as buying groceries.
Uber Eats also supports merchants by tailoring services around partners’ needs, ensuring strong price competitiveness, and allowing partners to list thousands of unique products – more than 15,000 items with some of its largest UK retail partners.
Katie Hunter, General Manager of Grocery & Retail at Uber Eats UK, said: “Christmas is a magical time, but it can also be incredibly hectic. Whether you’re cooking for ten, dashing to a party, or buying the perfect gifts, Uber Eats is helping customers get what they need, when and where they need it. We’re also committed to helping our retail partners grow during this critical period, with the tools, insights, and tech to help them stay competitive and deliver a seamless on-demand experience.”
Chris Conway, Quick Commerce Director, Co-Op, said: “The festive period is a busy time for many of our members and customers so, with a convenience store in every postal area of the UK, we’re focussed on making it easy for shoppers to get delicious festive favourites and everyday essentials delivered to their homes when they need it. Whether it’s for unexpected guests, top-up or forgotten items, or an evening in, we’re able to provide great quality, value and choice, quickly and conveniently.”
As more Brits embrace on-demand convenience for their festive needs, Uber Eats is cementing its role as the ultimate partner for both customers and retailers looking to win this Christmas season.
Top 10 Festive Food Items being ordered in December 2024:
Potatoes
Carrots
Turkey
Mince pies
Stuffing
Pigs in blankets
Brussel sprouts
Cranberry Sauce
Yule Logs
Pannetone
