Digital Disruptors: The Global Competitive Landscape for Delivery Platforms

Delivery

This report comes in PPT.

Key findings

Online delivery growth slows, but remains essential due to convenience, time scarcity and access to everyday needs

Delivery platforms have evolved into multi‑sided, mobile‑first ecosystems spanning food, retail and quick commerce. Accelerated by pandemic adoption, they are now structurally embedded in urban consumption. While growth has moderated, delivery remains essential by addressing convenience, time scarcity and urban access across everyday needs of consumers.

Delivery platforms are diversifying revenue streams and betting on holistic, ecosystem-driven growth

Delivery platforms are diversifying beyond their core delivery offerings to improve margins and business resilience. By leveraging user data, merchant relationships and infrastructure, they are building higher‑margin, recurring segments such as subscriptions, retail media and merchant software, deepening merchant ecosystem lock‑in and reducing their reliance on commissions.

Delivery platforms become even more consolidated, with M&A, market exits and tighter capital allocation

Delivery platforms are shifting from growth‑at‑any‑cost towards disciplined consolidation and geographic focus. Economic pressures have forced platforms to prioritise scale, market leadership and unit economics, driving M&A, market exits and tighter capital allocation. Future success depends less on footprint, and more on sustaining defensible leadership and profitability.

Delivery platforms are leveraging AI to offer better experiences and empower their merchants

AI is reshaping how users discover, select and order their deliveries. By leveraging rich, real‑time data, platforms are enabling more personalised experiences, smarter fulfilment and higher conversion. Scale and data quality creates an AI flywheel, making advanced AI capabilities a structural competitive advantage for top platforms to cement their leadership.

Regulatory competence and compliance fluidity are sources of competitive advantage for platforms

Regulation is becoming a defining operating factor for delivery platforms, shaping labour models, platform governance and economics. With rising scrutiny over worker rights, algorithms, competition and merchant standards, regulatory agility is now a source of advantage, and short‑term focused strategies risk being increasingly constrained by policy rather than demand.