Food Fight: Baemin and Coupang Eats Lock Horns Over Dual Pricing Dispute – A Battle for Fairness in the Food Delivery Market

No. 1 domestic delivery platform company Donga DB Baedal Minjok and No. 2 Coupang Eats were in direct conflict with the delivery fee controversy. Recently, with the ‘dual pricing system’ of charging a higher price for delivery on the rise, Coupang Eats in Baemin sniped, saying, “We pay the entire delivery fee to customers, and there are delivery fees and the system dual pricing are company specific problems.” Baemin also responded to Coupang’s claim on the 26th. They objected and said they would take legal action.

Coupang Eats, Baemin, and Yogiyo do not collect delivery fees from users who use the free delivery service. However, in the restaurant industry, as delivery orders increase, burdens such as brokerage commissions and delivery fees increase, leading to an increasing number of cases where delivery menus are priced more expensive than store menus.

Coupang Eats said the other day, “The dual pricing system is stated to be caused by certain delivery companies passing on free delivery costs to restaurant owners and charging commissions, but it is misunderstood as if is a problem for distribution companies in general. , including our company,” and “Free delivery benefits for Coupang Wow members.” posted a statement saying, “Coupang Eats covers the entire delivery fee for customers and does not transfer any burden to the business owner.”

Although it was expressed anonymously, it was in fact a direct attack on Baemin, who changed the rate scheme and increased the brokerage commission from 6.8% to 9.8%. Accordingly, Baemin distributed explanatory materials on this day and responded to Coupang Eats’ claims the previous day, saying, “Baemin Delivery distorts the facts by mixing Baemin Delivery (delivery by Baemin Riders) and store delivery (delivery from a contracted delivery agency). protested the business owner), saying, “We are responsible for paying customers’ distribution tips, just like our competitors.” He continued, “Baemin’s delivery fee is 9.8%, the same as competitors, and store delivery is 6.8%, which is 3 percentage points lower than competitors,” and added, “If such claims continue, we will actively considering legal action.”

Reporter Nam Hye-jeong namduck2@donga.com