How do delivery / platform apps' commission structures work?
I'm considering partnering with a Korean delivery or marketplace platform. I want to understand the real economics before I sign anything.
Comments 1
Pattern2026.05.19 02:13
This one's close to home for me — I worked on the delivery side — so here's how to think about it rather than chase a specific percentage, since rates shift and vary by plan.
Don't look at the headline commission rate alone. The real cost stack has layers: the platform commission, the payment processing fee, advertising and placement costs (this is the sneaky one — visibility on these platforms is increasingly pay-to-play), and promotion or coupon costs that are often functionally mandatory to stay competitive. A founder who budgets only for the headline commission gets a nasty surprise on the first settlement.
The strategic point: on these platforms you're not really buying transactions, you're renting visibility. Model your unit economics with all four layers, and ask hard whether the platform is a customer-acquisition channel or just a margin drain. Sometimes the right answer is: use it to acquire, then move repeat customers off it.
This one's close to home for me — I worked on the delivery side — so here's how to think about it rather than chase a specific percentage, since rates shift and vary by plan. Don't look at the headline commission rate alone. The real cost stack has layers: the platform commission, the payment processing fee, advertising and placement costs (this is the sneaky one — visibility on these platforms is increasingly pay-to-play), and promotion or coupon costs that are often functionally mandatory to stay competitive. A founder who budgets only for the headline commission gets a nasty surprise on the first settlement. The strategic point: on these platforms you're not really buying transactions, you're renting visibility. Model your unit economics with all four layers, and ask hard whether the platform is a customer-acquisition channel or just a margin drain. Sometimes the right answer is: use it to acquire, then move repeat customers off it.