Rappi Monetizes In-App Payments
Sebastian Mejia, co-founder of Rappi, on building for multi-verticality in on-demand
Rappi is trying to turn payments from a checkout cost into a profit lever. When a customer uses a Rappi linked card or wallet inside the app, Rappi keeps more of the payment economics instead of handing that value to outside issuers and processors. That matters because delivery is a thin margin business, so even small fee savings can lift contribution margin while the same payment product also drives more app opens, repeat orders, and stronger retention.
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The practical mechanism is simple. A normal marketplace order pays commissions to card networks, issuers, and payment processors. If Rappi owns more of that stack through Rappi Pay, card partnerships, and in app payment flows, it can negotiate better rates or keep a larger share of interchange economics.
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This fits the broader super app model. Rappi already makes most revenue from merchant commissions and delivery fees, but the long term margin story depends on adding higher margin layers like advertising, subscriptions, and financial services on top of the delivery base. That is how a low margin order can support a better overall customer lifetime value.
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The closest analogue is Meituan. Its playbook was to use a high frequency service to capture consumer attention, then add payments, merchant tools, and other services that make each customer and merchant relationship more valuable. Rappi is applying the same logic in Latin America, with payments serving both as a retention feature and a margin enhancer.
Going forward, the more transactions Rappi can route through its own financial layer, the more its economics should look less like a pure delivery marketplace and more like a bundled commerce platform. That makes fintech central to margin expansion, because it deepens customer habit while lowering the toll Rappi pays each time money moves through the app.