Will the Delivery App Market Be Affected by the "Talpang" Movement? So Far, the Impact Is Limited

Coupang Eats Sees Slight Increase in Users Last Month
Year-End Surge Offsets Impact... Potential Effects Ahead

The impact of the so-called “Talpang” (leaving Coupang) movement in the delivery application market has so far been limited. Despite growing public sentiment against using Coupang amid ongoing controversies following a large-scale personal information leak, the number of users of Coupang’s delivery app, Coupang Eats, actually increased slightly last month. This is attributed to the fact that the delivery app is a key pillar in Coupang’s customer retention strategy, combined with the year-end surge in delivery orders.

According to Mobile Index, a data platform by IGAWorks, as of January 6, Coupang Eats recorded 12.73 million monthly active users (MAU) last month, an increase of about 340,000 from the previous month. Although controversies continued for a month after the personal data leak at the end of November, the aftermath did not lead to a decrease in Coupang Eats’ monthly users. The number of businesses registered on Coupang Eats in December also grew by around 3% from the previous month, reaching approximately 274,000.

Daily user trends also showed that Coupang Eats fluctuated between 2 million and 3 million users from the end of November through early this year. On December 25, Christmas Day, it reached a peak of 3.74 million users. Analysts say that the year-end “peak season” effect had a greater impact than the negative sentiment caused by the personal information leak. Coupang continued to run marketing campaigns to capture this seasonal demand. An industry insider explained, “Since year-end is a period when delivery orders surge, any ‘Talpang’ movement may have been offset by the increased demand.”

The fact that users of other delivery platforms also increased across the board supports this analysis. Last month, Baedal Minjok and Yogiyo recorded 23.75 million and 4.55 million users, respectively. Compared to the previous month, Baedal Minjok increased by 3.0% and Yogiyo by 2.9%. Coupang Eats’ user growth of 2.7% over November is a similar figure. The public delivery app, Ttaenggyeoyo, which ranks fourth, also reached 3.55 million users, up about 2% from the previous month.

However, considering that Coupang Eats’ growth has been driven by free delivery for Coupang members, the impact of the “Talpang” movement may be felt in the delivery market once the year-end peak subsides. Coupang’s weekly active users (WAU) dropped to 26.68 million in the fourth week of December 2024 (December 22-28), a 4.2% decrease from the fourth week of November, just before the personal information leak occurred. Coupang Eats’ growth has also clearly slowed compared to a year ago. In December 2024, Coupang Eats users increased by 836,000 from the previous month, a 9.5% growth rate. Last month’s 2.7% growth is a significant drop from that figure.

An industry official stated, “If the movement to leave Coupang continues to spread, Coupang Eats will inevitably be affected as well,” adding, “There is close attention on how this could impact the delivery app market landscape this year.”