DoorDash is pushing beyond its roots as a delivery app, rolling out new tools, including a delivery robot, to help retailers move products to customers faster.

At its Dash Forward 2025 event on Sept. 30, the company introduced DashMart Fulfillment Services. Those services are already in use at CVS and Party City, with Kroger slated to follow. The company also announced Dot, DoorDash’s first delivery robot, which was developed entirely in-house.

According to DoorDash, DashMart Fulfillment Services, a logistics service for retailers, manages inventory, packing and last-mile delivery. All of this is done at DoorDash-operated hubs, known as DashMarts. Dot, meanwhile, adds an automated option for short delivery trips. It slots into the same system that powers the rest of the company’s network.

What DoorDash’s new services and robot mean for its broader logistics plans

Together, the launches signal DoorDash’s push to evolve from a meal delivery marketplace into an end-to-end logistics partner.

“Our journey began with restaurant delivery, and over the past several years we have evolved into a global, multi-product, multi-line of business company that is shaping the future of local commerce,” said Tony Xu, co-founder and CEO of DoorDash, in the announcement.

For retailers, that shift is already underway through DashMart Fulfillment Services. The model handles storing, packing, and delivering products from DashMart locations, which are delivery-focused hubs owned and operated by DoorDash.

The company describes the service as a way for retailers to sell online. They can do so either through DoorDash or their own channels, without managing inventory or last-mile logistics themselves. Orders are fulfilled directly from more than 100 DashMart sites using its fleet of Dashers, a setup DoorDash says operates with “near-perfect order accuracy.”

Which retailers DoorDash is working with

So far, adoption includes CVS Pharmacy and Party City, with Kroger set to join soon.

Party City, which filed for bankruptcy in 2024, has continued operating online through channels such as PartyCity.com, Walmart and Amazon. The retailer is already using DashMart Fulfillment Services to reach consumers in most major metro areas, with its party supplies delivered the same day from either its own site or the DoorDash app.

In addition, DashMart is carrying healthcare essentials from CVS Pharmacy, which customers can order at any time as the 24/7 hubs run continuously, even on holidays, the company said.

At the same time, Kroger is set to join DashMart Fulfillment Services, though DoorDash has not disclosed where it will begin using the model. The company says the partnership will eventually bring a “wide selection of groceries and household essentials” to shoppers through DashMart.

Separately, Kroger on Sept. 29 said it is expanding its DoorDash partnership to Kroger’s 2,700 U.S. stores. The companies first partnered in 2022 for limited delivery of sushi, flowers and prepared meals. With this broader rollout, DoorDash is taking on a larger share of Kroger’s third-party delivery mix, which also includes Instacart and Uber.

Kroger ranks No. 6 in Digital Commerce 360’s Top 2000 Database. The database ranks North America’s largest online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales. CVS Health Corp. ranks No. 101, and Party City Holdings is No. 302 in the Top 2000.

Where DoorDash Dot robots are on the road

DoorDash’s retail deals are only one part of its strategy. The company is also bringing automation into the mix with Dot, its short-trip delivery robot that’s now in early testing in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona.

Developed by DoorDash Labs, Dot is described as the first commercial robot able to navigate on roads, bike lanes and sidewalks at up to 20 mph. That stands apart from DoorDash’s April U.S. pilot with Coco Robotics, which is limited to sidewalk deliveries, and from other rivals.

Dot is all-electric and compact, small enough to fit through doorways but large enough to carry up to 30 pounds, or six large pizza boxes, DoorDash said. At 4′6″ tall, it’s designed for short neighborhood trips that would otherwise require a car.

The robot’s autonomy system, which draws on billions of past deliveries, uses a vision-based stack powered by eight external cameras, plus radar and lidar for situational awareness. DoorDash says the system relies on deep learning to help Dot navigate safely and adjust in real time.

How DoorDash is using AI

DoorDash says Dot will expand to more markets over time. Even so, most daily deliveries will remain with human Dashers, the company acknowledged, framing automation as a way to offload short trips while drivers handle higher-value orders.

Dot also plugs into DoorDash’s new Autonomous Delivery Platform, described by the company as an “AI dispatcher.” The system automatically matches each order with the most efficient delivery method, whether that’s a Dasher, Dot, a drone, or a sidewalk robot. The platform makes those decisions in real time, weighing factors such as speed, cost, and location across the company’s global network.

So far, DoorDash has tested other autonomous methods at a smaller scale, including drones in select U.S. cities with Wing, Alphabet’s drone subsidiary.. The company says it expects delivery to become increasingly multi-modal, combining robots, drones and traditional vehicles across its growing network.

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