If TripAdvisor met Yelp, that would be Uber Local, a new product the taxi hailing company is working on. “We use real-time data of our trips, obviously in an aggregate way, to show the hot spots to show where most Ubers are dropping people off,” Alex Otrezov, Uber’s head of search and examination, told Cheddar in a recent interview. “Whether points of interests, or restaurants, whatever it may be, we want to make sure that we share that data with our users.” The executive unveiled the product at eTail West 2018 on Tuesday. Uber Local’s technology would allow it to predict social trends based on time and seasons and personalize the data for each user. Otrezov said Uber is pushing its real-time technology business model further in developing this personalized operating system. He says that Uber Local aims both to make traveling easier and to enhance the local experience. “The way we move more into personalization is kind of knowing whether there’s a specific event going on and creating auto-generating ads for that audience,” he said. “And really moving into that space where we can actually tell them, ‘Hey, are you looking to go to Coachella?... Take an Uber.’”
