During the pandemic, innovative business models that generate new markets from technologies have pulled the economy and generated prosperity for various sectors. This is the case of collaborative mobility and food delivery platforms.
That is the conclusion of a recent study prepared by the Public Policy Laboratory of the Center for Economic Research and Teaching and the Internet MX Association, “Home delivery platforms in the Mexican economy”, With socioeconomic data from Inegi.
The investigation by academic Víctor Carreón yields empirical evidence that maintains that home delivery platforms such as Uber Eats, Rappi, DiDi Food, among others, have generated benefits to the economy such as employment opportunities in the restaurant industry and better flexible income for delivery men.
The study mentions that as of the arrival of the first delivery platform in 2012, a 150% growth was generated in delivery person occupancy, of which 60% can be attributed to platforms.
A revealing data is that the average monthly income of the delivery men grew 117%, compared to the 25% increase of the other employed people in the economy. Even more: the income of the distributors through delivery apps was 186.60 pesos in 2020, 33.96% more than the minimum wage in force that year (123.22 pesos).
Although the occupation of delivery man already existed, it should be noted that these sources of income did not exist before the emergence of Internet platforms, so they are attributable to factors such as greater adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) like smartphones; increased mobile broadband connections; greater digitization of SMEs and businesses such as restaurants, self-service stores or pharmacies; and business models that create new markets and use alternative resources such as bicycles or motorcycles.
As part of the adoption and social acceptance of this modality of collaborative platforms, the public space has been adapted to offer better mobility and safety conditions for the delivery people, although much remains to be done as in European cities, which are much more adapted for these modalities Of transport.
It cannot be ignored that the flexibility offered by these types of platforms is part of what makes them attractive for delivery drivers, such as choosing schedules, days and even platforms from different competing providers, unlike the fixed hours of a traditional business.
The document states that “the full-time distributors indicated that their activities on the platforms provide them with sufficient income for their needs, offer them labor flexibility because they can choose the hours in which to work, they are their only source of income, in addition to stating that before these activities they experienced job instability ”.
Another benefit that the study found, framed in the pandemic, is that delivery apps favored fewer infections, hospitalizations and deaths from the Covid-19 disease, because they prevented the final consumer from leaving their home to make purchases.
At the same time, they allowed commercial establishments such as restaurants to continue operating with food delivery methods at home, given the prohibition of meeting in those public spaces to preserve a healthy distance.
According to the study by CIDE and the Internet MX Association, based on Inegi and the Ministry of Health databases, in a moderate contagion scenario under the use of entry platforms, it prevented at least 484,758 infections, 41,359 deaths and 90,601 hospitalizations.
Finally, another benefit was the reduction of atmospheric pollutants, due to the use of bicycles for home delivery. According to the study, the savings in tons of CO2 not generated were 55,537 to 111,074 in 2020.
Innovations that create new markets, such as collaborative platforms, are known to energize other economic activities. In 2020 there was a 6% increase in motorcycle sales in Mexico, by selling 648,713 units with displacement of up to 175 cc – the most common for distribution – the highest volume since 2013 when Inegi began registration.
The production of bicycles – cataloged as an essential industry during the pandemic – had a production increase of 51.3 percent in January 2021, the largest increase in four years.
Mobility and home delivery platforms have also reduced transaction costs, that is, they democratize products and services that were not previously available, at more affordable prices for end consumers.
Any regulatory attempt would have to consider these and other benefits of collaborative platforms for the multiple parties involved in the business. Prohibitive regulation tends to generate costs that always end up being passed on to the end user, distorting the original business model, which is the creation of new markets that did not exist before, income opportunities and benefits for multiple sectors of the economy.
Twitter: @beltmondi
President of the Mexican Association for the Right to Information (Amedi)
In communication
Media and telecommunications analyst and academic at UNAM. Study the media, new technologies, telecommunications, political communication and journalism. He is the author of the book The media presidentialism. Media and power during the government of Vicente Fox.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx