The Gig Economy in India
Major Platforms and Business Models
Delivery, mobility and services platforms earn mainly from commissions, delivery fees and advertising.
Different platforms have different ways of earning.
Food delivery
Zomato (now part of Eternal) and Swiggy take a commission from restaurants and charge customers fees.
Mobility
Ola and Uber take a share of each fare, and also earn from subscriptions in some cases.
Services
Urban Company connects customers with beauticians, cleaners and repair workers.
Profit
Many platforms lost money for years while growing, and only recently approached profits.
The take rate
If a platform keeps 20 per cent of each fare, a large ride volume can produce big revenue.
Assuming platforms own the vehicles or kitchens
Most only provide the app and matching.
Key takeaways
- Commissions are the main income.
- Different sectors have different models.
- Platforms often lost money at first.
- Workers usually own their tools.
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