- Commission fees for merchants account for approximately 24% of sales generated through delivery platforms.
- Discussions are ongoing to reduce the burden, based on the findings of the commission fee investigation.
The 4th meeting of the "Delivery Platform-Merchant Win-Win Cooperation Council" (hereinafter referred to as the 'Cooperation Council') was held on Tuesday, September 10, at 2:30 PM.
During today's meeting, participants continued to exchange opinions on the topics discussed in the previous meetings.* In particular, the meeting focused on discussions about ▲ ways to reduce the burden of fees and other costs and ▲ government financial support plans for public delivery apps and delivery/shipping fees in 2025.
First, the merchants using delivery platforms (hereinafter referred to as 'merchants') argued for the need to reduce the burden of fees and other costs. According to a survey conducted by the merchants, 293 merchants who participated in the survey reported that the various costs incurred from using delivery platforms in July 2024 amounted to approximately 24% of the sales generated through the platforms. (The percentage of total costs relative to overall sales was around 13%, with an average operating profit margin of about 7%.) The Cooperation Council decided to continue discussions on reasonable measures to reduce this burden for the merchants.
Additionally, the government announced a support plan for public delivery apps and delivery/shipping costs in 2025, reflecting the demands of the merchants. The government will promote public delivery apps like “Ttaenggyeoyo,” which have lower commission rates (0-2%), by providing support for promotional expenses. Furthermore, to alleviate the management burden on small business owners caused by rising delivery and shipping costs, the government will provide annual support of up to 300,000 KRW for delivery/shipping fees to small business owners in all sectors.
During this 4th meeting, the Cooperation Council members listened to opinions on both the merchants' proposals to reduce the burden of fees and the government's proposed financial support measures, and they discussed the desirable direction for improvement.
In the upcoming 5th and 6th meetings, the council plans to develop specific win-win solutions for each topic based on the opinions gathered so far. While voluntary agreements between delivery platforms and merchants will be prioritized, in cases where agreements are difficult, public interest representatives will propose mediation plans to facilitate discussions. The government will actively support the Cooperation Council to ensure smooth operations and help produce desirable outcomes by the end of October.