The emergence of new digital platforms caused a revolution in the labor market. First was the arrival of Uber, who faced not only the guild of taxi drivers, but the very government of Buenos Aires. Then the delivery apps appeared as new players in this 4.0 market.
With PedidosYa as the only exponent and dominator of the segment, the irruption of Rappi and Glovo shook several cities in the country. Under the promise of "being their own bosses," these platforms were not exempt from controversy: are they precarious workers? What is the support of the company to the delivery people?
Rappi landed in Argentina in February and, since then, recorded a growth of more than 30% per month according to the company's own data.
"It was by far the country in which most success was among those that were launched, since it came to give a solution to the model of delivery that existed up to that moment," explains iProuP Matías Casoy, general manager of Rappi Argentina.
With the challenges involved in settling in a market like the Argentine, the executive highlights the work of the firm for only nine months to cover four major cities: Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Rosario and La Plata.With an investment of more than US $ 7 million and more than 150 employees - not "rappitenderos", as the distributors are called, but direct employees - the company aims to close the year with more than 600,000 active users.
"Argentina is a key market to operate because of its size and because it has a culture of delivery that is deeply embedded in its DNA, and it is challenging because it has different vicissitudes and a changing economic context," adds Casoy.
In this sense, he emphasizes that Rappi arrived to give "a step forward" in what concerns his service, as "the revolution of delivery on demand".
"It is an app that connects consumer opportunities at all times, throughout the day, taking what you want wherever you are," the executive completes.
As part of its expansion plan, the firm intends to start operations in different cities, such as Mar del Plata, as well as expand to other provinces, such as Mendoza.
"We plan to continue deepening our commitment to Argentina through new opportunities for investment and growth," says Casoy.Controversy in between
"We were summoned to participate in the platforms with slogans such as 'be your own boss.' We quickly began to realize that applications worked thanks to us and we could not decide anything," the Platform Personnel Association (APP) explained in its formal presentation. ), the first union that brings together the workers of these new digital startups.
"The same thing happened to Glovo's, to Uber's, to all those who work for a platform," he added.
The claims of this group were strong in Argentina, especially because of the historical weight of the union sector. Until Héctor Daer, triunviro of the CGT; and the leader of the CTA, Hugo Yasky, met with representatives of APP and committed to provide their support.
The Government is working together with the companies to achieve a regulation that protects the delivery drivers, but at the same time does not reduce the generation of employment.
Meanwhile, people who find a job on this platform lack certain labor rights such as the coverage of an insurance company for work, social work and retirement contributions.
By way of defense, the company ensures that its role is to "bridge or facilitate" between businesses, delivery and customer, with the axis in the collaborative economy
"The role of Rappi is to connect a consumer who has a need, with a domiciliary willing to provide a service to supply it," Casoy argues.
In addition, it reinforced the company's commitment to work together with the competent authorities to develop a regulatory framework that adapts to the new paradigm and challenges of the collaborative and digital economy 4.0.
Strictly speaking, the business around the new proposal is to charge a commission for each purchase. But its business model contemplates the diversification of revenues, which currently come from its delivery service.Fintech model
In line with the emergence of fintechs and new payment alternatives both in Argentina and in the region, the Colombian startup aims at this sector to diversify its business. In addition, it has expertise and know-how in means of payment, central to its service.
Therefore, the arrival of RappiPay in Argentina in December is a natural movement. However, it faces giants of the sector, such as MercadoPago (which owns more than 200,000 local members); Todo Pago, from Prisma, issuer of Visa in Argentina; and ValePEI, of Red Link, a technology company that manages the ATM network of public banks."This does not change the Rappi model, but we are exploring new ways to add value to users," he explained to iProUP
This new product, which is already available in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, does not function as an independent platform, but is integrated directly into the application. It will allow you to load "credits" with traditional methods-debit cards and third-party tools-and then make purchases.
As a strategy, the company will launch bonuses, through which they will deliver "gifts" in stores when an operation is carried out.
In addition, the spokeswoman added that they will use the "cashback" strategy: users will receive credits for their purchases that can be used at the time of requesting a delivery and at the adhered physical points.
"We believe that it will have a high acceptance rate, above all because of the number of stores that we have already prospected and specified at this stage.On the side of the users we have no doubt that it will be a success." Digital payments with QR are a solution that is asking for the market for a long time, "added Casoy, manager of the Argentine subsidiary.Finally, the executive trusts the ecosystem already developed in the country: "We believe that there is a great deal of work done and a lot to move forward, through RappiPay, we are confident in providing a quality solution that is reliable for users and businesses."
With a well-defined roadmap for next year, the distribution application -and now the payment method- is going strong in Argentina to be something more than the new king of delivery.