Wolt courier acquisition & retention

The Opportunity

Following its acquisition by DoorDash, Wolt entered a new phase of growth, requiring a deeper understanding of what attracts, motivates and retains gig couriers across Europe.

While courier acquisition and retention are critical to long-term growth, many assumptions about why people choose, reject or leave gig work remained anecdotal. Wolt needed to understand the motivations, perceptions and barriers influencing existing couriers, prospective gig workers and those who actively chose alternative forms of part-time employment.

To support this ambition, intO delivered a multi-market research programme across six European countries, helping Wolt replace assumptions with evidence and identify opportunities to strengthen its courier proposition.

Our Approach

intO delivered a culturally grounded qualitative research programme across multiple European markets, combining contextual pre-tasks with in-depth interviews to explore how attitudes towards work, flexibility, income and autonomy differ between regions.

The study brought together three participant groups: existing couriers, prospective gig workers, and part-time job seekers who do not consider courier work. Local Researchers moderated all sessions in native languages, ensuring cultural fluency while enabling meaningful comparison across markets. Findings were synthesised into market-specific recommendations to inform product, marketing and onboarding decisions.

Business Impact

The programme provided Wolt with a richer understanding of the behavioural and cultural factors influencing courier acquisition and retention across Europe.

By identifying distinct motivational segments, barriers to participation and opportunities to strengthen the courier value proposition, the research helped Wolt challenge assumptions about gig work and make more informed decisions around onboarding, messaging and product development. The multi-market approach also enabled Wolt to compare patterns across Europe while recognising the unique cultural context of each market.