Four Years Of Transparency: Wolt Continues To Shed Light On Algorithms That Shape Local Commerce With Fourth Annual Report
Wolt continues its commitment to openness about how algorithms and artificial intelligence shape the experiences of consumers, courier partners, and merchants on its platform. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Wolt has published the report—a practice still rare in the industry.
Enhancing Understanding and Fostering Trust
The Algorithmic Transparency Report explains, in a clear and accessible way, how the algorithms and AI systems behind the platform work. It provides a closer look at the technology behind the platform as AI continues to rapidly evolve.
The report details key areas, including:
Personalisation:
The report also explains how personalisation helps consumers easily find the restaurants and stores they prefer. It describes the algorithms behind features like “Order Again,” banners, and the display of new restaurants and shops. The prioritisation of listings depends on factors such as whether a venue is open at the time of ordering, its menu content, popularity, and proximity to the customer’s address.
Courier Partners Mechanisms:
The report outlines how order assignment works, how delivery times are calculated, and how courier earnings are determined — depending on factors such as distance, order size, delivery accessibility, vehicle type, traffic conditions, weather, and safety. It also highlights upcoming tools that will be introduced to improve the platform experience for courier partners and support better working conditions across the platform.
Merchant Tools:
Wolt highlights the range of tools available to partner merchants for visibility, promotion, and performance analysis. Businesses can use marketing and promotional features to attract customers, as well as analytics dashboards that provide insights into sales, delivery efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Wolt addresses non-discrimination, noting that its algorithms do not process or use personal information that could be identified as potential sources of discrimination. Wolt does not collect data on gender, sexual orientation, racial or ethnic origin, national origin, religious affiliation, or disability.
Commitment to Responsible Technology
Wolt’s ongoing publication of the report reflects its effort to make openness a regular practice rather than a one-off initiative. The report is part of Wolt’s commitment to responsible technology and aligns with the EU Platform Work Directive, an EU law designed to improve platform workers’ rights, by clearly explaining the functioning and parameters of Wolt’s automated systems.
Wolt’s continued publication of this report underscores its effort to make transparency a standard practice, not a one-off initiative.
“With the 4th edition of our Algorithmic Transparency Report, we show that transparency isn’t just a buzzword for Wolt, it’s something we believe in and strive for every day. In a highly digitized world, consumers, courier partners and merchants should understand the technology they interact with daily. Technology holds great promise, and by sharing openly year after year, we aim to ensure it works for everyone in a fair and trustworthy way,” Head of Sales of Wolt Malta, Chris Tanti said.
Industry Recognition
Wolt’s approach has been recognised by independent experts, positioning the company among industry leaders in transparency. The Algorithmic Transparency report series has been referenced by WageIndicator and others as a global best practice example in the platform economy. Specifically, the report has been recognised by the organisation WageIndicator as one of the 25 best global practices in the platform economy.
Read Wolt’s 4th Algorithmic Transparency Report here.