DoorDash introduces AI tools to simplify merchant onboarding and improve food photos

DoorDash on Monday introduced a new set of AI-powered tools designed to help merchants accelerate onboarding, improve the presentation of food images, and automatically generate websites based on their app listings.

The onboarding feature operates similarly to a tool introduced by Amazon in 2024. Merchants can direct the system to their existing website, allowing it to automatically pull in details such as images, business hours, and menu items to create a listing within the app. Before going live, merchants can review and adjust all imported information.

DoorDash has also updated its video library, adding new capabilities that allow merchants to tag specific dishes within videos. This enables customers to order those items directly from the content. The updated library also provides performance metrics, including total views, sales generated through videos, and new customer conversions.

In addition, restaurants now have access to new photo-editing features. One tool, AI Retouch, can enhance images by replacing backgrounds, sharpening visuals, and adjusting lighting without altering the dish itself. Another feature, AI Replate, modifies food images to give them a more professionally plated appearance by refining lighting and colour. Merchants can also upload a reference image to apply a consistent visual style across their photos.

“At DoorDash, we’re constantly building tools to help merchants succeed, from their very first day on the platform, to every order after. These new tools reflect our belief that the right technology should remove friction, not add it, so merchants can focus on what they do best: making great food and delivering incredible customer experiences,” said Brian Tolkin, head of merchant product at DoorDash, in a statement.

Beyond these updates, the company is expanding its commerce platform with additional features. One of these allows restaurant owners to quickly create a website using existing DoorDash content, including menus and photos. According to the company, early testing showed that merchants using this feature achieved average order conversion rates of nearly 10%.

DoorDash has also launched a marketing campaign builder that enables merchants to automate content creation, manage email outreach, and schedule campaigns more efficiently.