In-car retail apps and services for a seamless shopping experience

by Julia Pott

Retailers are increasingly leveraging in-car technology, integrating apps into vehicle systems like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to offer customers a seamless, hands-free shopping experience.

These innovations allow users to browse, order, and pay for purchases directly from their vehicle's dashboard, reshaping how consumers interact with retail services, particularly for food orders and curbside pickups.

In September 2024, Target announced the integration of its popular Drive Up and Order Pickup services with Apple CarPlay. This new feature allows customers to place orders through the Target app, then use CarPlay to navigate to the store, view order details, and notify the store upon arrival. The entire process is displayed on the car's dashboard, enabling a hands-free, convenient pickup experience for customers on the move.

While in-car retail apps are still relatively new, food service businesses have been pioneers in this space. In 2019, pizza restaurant chain and delivery service Domino's partnered with Xevo Inc., an in-car commerce service provider, to introduce an in-vehicle pizza ordering platform. By late 2019, through the AnyWare system, customers could order their favorite pizzas via a car's touchscreen and track their orders, as millions of vehicles with the Xevo Market platform pre-loaded had access to this service.

In 2023, Domino’s expanded its in-car ordering service to Apple CarPlay, allowing users to reorder their favorite pizzas or speak with a representative hands-free. This development enhances the convenience of pickup, eliminating the need to wait in long drive-thru lines.

To make in-car retail apps even more convenient, voice control has become a key component. Voice recognition technology enables drivers to use apps, search for services, stream content online, and make payments entirely hands-free. As speech recognition and conversational AI continue to evolve, we’re seeing its applications expand rapidly in the retail space.

And the interest from consumers is growing: According to research by PYMNTS of April 2023 on the topic of How Consumers Want to Live in the Voice Economy, 39% of consumers have used voice technology on their smartphones, while 15% have utilized the voice capabilities in their cars, with younger generations taking the lead. The study also reveals that 38% of users regularly watch TV or play music through voice commands, 18% use it to order groceries, and 11% order coffee for pickup, highlighting the growing role of voice technology in everyday tasks.

Beyond ordering and pickup, in-car apps are extending into payments as well. Hyundai has introduced in-car payment systems, starting with its all-electric IONIQ 5. This system enables drivers to pay for parking, food, and EV charging directly from their car’s interface, making the in-car experience more comprehensive. Other automakers, like BMW with its Parkopedia-powered parking payments, and Mercedes-Benz with Mercedes me, are also leading the way in offering seamless in-car payment solutions​.

Drivers will likely appreciate native in-vehicle payment systems that simplify transactions like parking, paying tolls, and even ordering food, all directly from the car’s cockpit. This eliminates the need for multiple merchant apps, saves time, and enhances convenience.

As more automakers and retailers collaborate to integrate shopping, ordering, and payment systems into vehicles, the possibilities for consumer convenience are vast. These technologies are expected to evolve further, incorporating more features like personalized recommendations and automated services that enhance the driving experience. As retailers continue to invest in these innovations, in-car apps could become a standard tool for making purchases, navigating stores, and managing day-to-day errands from the dashboard.