Mr. Fu is a driver at the Beijing food delivery company Eleme and makes about a dozen deliveries per shift. He could do even more – with less spillage – if he didn’t have to keep pulling out his phone to update his status. “I have to log into the app every few minutes to avoid being penalized if the delivery is late because of the restaurant,” he says. This is the case when he has to wait longer for an order in the restaurant. In China, the tough competition and drifting Promise of prompt delivery Delivery apps to seek...