Just Eat is piloting ordering through WhatsApp as it looks to make food and retail delivery more conversational and convenient.

The new service allows users to chat with an AI assistant inside WhatsApp to discover restaurants, retailers and products, before being directed to the Just Eat app for the final secure payment step.

The delivery giant said the “entire discovery and selection process” will take place within the WhatsApp chat, claiming the pilot marks Europe’s first food and retail ordering journey on the messaging platform.

Just Eat Takeaway.com chief technology officer Mert Öztekin said: “By introducing Europe’s first WhatsApp ordering flow, Just Eat Takeaway.com are not just adding a new channel, we are redefining the paradigm of convenience.

“This innovation is a core component of our evolution from a transactional menu application into a truly intelligent AI life assistant that understands customer intent in real time.

“We are proud to be the first to market in Europe, proving that Just Eat is at the absolute forefront of AI-driven transformation.”

The WhatsApp feature uses Just Eat’s in-app AI assistant, which can interpret natural language and less structured prompts to provide relevant restaurant and retail recommendations.

The move builds on the launch of Just Eat’s voice AI assistant in the UK earlier this year, which allows customers to describe a meal and generate a basket of ingredients from a local supermarket for rapid delivery.

Just Eat said the assistant is designed to understand what customers are trying to ask, regardless of how informally they phrase it, allowing users to “think out loud” about what they want for dinner.

The company said UK trials showed a significantly higher conversion rate among customers who used the AI voice assistant.

The WhatsApp ordering pilot will launch first in Spain and the Netherlands in the coming months.

Meta Benelux country director Geraldine Bouma said: “Chatting to businesses to check travel plans, make a reservation or browse a catalogue is already a way of life for many people around the world.

“We’re excited that more people in Europe will soon have the opportunity to use WhatsApp to order food and get things done.”

The trial underlines how delivery platforms are increasingly using AI and messaging apps to reduce friction in the customer journey, with grocery and convenience retail a key area of opportunity as shoppers look for faster, more intuitive ways to build baskets.

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