DoorDash Heatmap: What it is and how it works
DoorDash, an online food ordering and delivery company, provides heat maps to its drivers.This heat map, viewed through the Driver app, represents a driver’s delivery zones supply and demand ratio.
This article explains the DoorDash heatmap: what it is, how it works, how to find and use it, and what DoorDash delivery drivers think about it.
What is a heatmap?
Heatmaps represent data graphically. On a heatmap, all “values” are represented by colors. This makes it easy to view (and track) complex data and understand it at a glance.
In general, warmer colors — red and orange — represent “more used” or “popular” parts, while cooler colors — blue or gray — represent “less commonly used” parts of the map.
Therefore, the DoorDash heatmap shows gray (cold) areas where orders are low (or none at all), and red (warm) areas where orders are high.
The DoorDash driver displays two “hot spots”. A Dynamic Hotspots show areas that are currently busy. When a driver sees a dynamic hotspot on their DoorDash heatmap, the “busy” or “more used” areas around it will be shaded red, in other words, areas where customers have placed DoorDash orders. Drivers typically see dynamic hotspots during peak hours (i.e. lunch and dinner).
historical However, hotspots show areas that were busy in the past but may not be busy now. Historical hotspots are represented by flames, but there is no red heatmap around them.
Drivers primarily see historical hotspots when they are not busy. Drivers are advised to travel to areas where customers have placed orders in the past during the low season. That way, when orders start heating up, you’ll be there.
How do you find heatmaps on DoorDash?
The DoorDash heatmap is accessible through the driver app, which must be downloaded to the smart device, and accounts can also be created and managed through the app.
The bottom of the Dasher application contains a number of tabs. These allow you to schedule dashes, check account details, and view information from previous dashes. The specific tabs are:
sprint
sprint Drivers are allowed to sprint immediately if they have Dashes available in their area. This screen also allows drivers to view any in-app announcements by clicking the bell in the upper right corner of the screen.
schedule
schedule Use to plan future dashes and view any upcoming dashes that are scheduled. Drivers can schedule Dashes up to five days in advance.
account
account Enables drivers to view and update DoorDash account information including name, phone number, email, vehicle and app settings.
Ratings
Ratings Provides information on dashing history, including customer ratings, acceptance rates, completion rates, and completed lifecycle deliveries.For more information on these indicators, click help button in the upper right corner of the screen or click on the indicator itself.
income
income Displays all weekly earnings and provides the ability to view daily earnings by clicking on a given week. This is also where you can update your bank account information.
Dashboard home screen
this Home screen show a heat map Driver surroundings showing areas of high orders (or hotspots) show you where to go to increase your chances of receiving an order. Drivers can pause, extend or end the sprint using the options menu in the upper left corner of the screen.
this heat map Live updates on the main screen of the Dasher app and will tell drivers when and where they are busy.When the heatmap is red (busy), drivers can Sprint now Or navigate to “busy” areas and take advantage of high customer demand.
a gray heat map (with the message “It’s not busy in this area”) indicates that the Dasher platform is at full capacity and all orders have been processed. The driver then navigates to the red zone or returns to the current zone at various times.
Read: Why does my Doordash keep pausing?
How do you use the DoorDash heatmap?
Drivers can choose when and how much (or to what extent) they want to sprint. They can arrange this in advance and do it in any way that suits them. Drivers have learned from experience with peak times (lunch and dinner times) and recommend making arrangements in advance to secure these peak times.
While on the road, however, the driver uses the heat map, notices it reads “busy,” and uses the “Dash Now” button to start running immediately.
If they are unable to schedule or extend Dash, it means there are enough Dasher to handle the delivery at that time. As the DoorDash app is updated in real time, drivers will need to keep checking for new opening timeslots.
Read: Can You Split Payments on DoorDash?
Are DoorDash Heatmaps Accurate?
The DoorDash heatmap is updated every 10 minutes, so there is a constant slight change in “hot” and “cool” patterns on the map.
Seasoned drivers say a heat map can be a useful starting point when figuring out the best places to work in any city, but it should never be the only resource used. That’s because while a heatmap is useful, it’s not always accurate — in other words, the information it shows isn’t always up to date — and it’s not always useful to drivers.
Figuring out the best places to work in a city comes down to experience (practice) and intuition. Drivers say they often don’t make more money by following the heatmap. It does open up opportunities they might have missed, but like all resources, drivers must learn to use it to their advantage.
Dashers says the technology behind DoorDash’s heatmaps can generate as many dashers as needed for an area at any given time. It will then display the number of open dashboard slots relative to the desired number.
This means that the heatmap is about dashboard slot As much as the order volume occurred. This is why drivers may experience no orders despite the map being red, which is why they may see the map color change as drivers log in or out.
A dasher describes the map as representing a situation, eg, 10 orders have been placed and there are 12 dashers. The map will remain red while orders are submitted and processed, which can take up to a few minutes per order. When all of these proposals have been accepted, the map will go back to gray – but at least 2 dashers will see the bright red heatmap and receive no jobs.
In this case, drivers with higher ratings were more likely to receive orders, drivers said.
Likewise, if there are 10 slots for dashboards and they are all full, but 2 of the dashboards are offline or left the area, the heatmap will turn red. This is because the system is processing an expected order (not made yet) and 2 plans that are now open. If the two absconded drivers come back online, the map will turn back to gray.
This means that the heatmap responds to the number of dashers available, not the number of orders.
Read: DoorDash Challenges: What They Are, How They Work, and More!
summarize
The DoorDash Heat Map is an example of data analytics software used to show DoorDash delivery drivers where “high demand areas” of orders are located in time and space.
The heatmap shows by color where drivers are needed and where there is (currently) no ordering activity.
The resource is a way to match drivers with orders (thus making the company more efficient), not a tool to help drivers make more money. Heatmap graphics make more sense when viewed this way.
