Rappi will make strong expansion of dark stores in Peru, Ecuador and Chile

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Conquering first place in terms of platforms in Peru, Ecuador and Chile are one of the goals that Colombian startup Rappi would like to achieve this year, explains José Ignacio Bernal, executive director for the Pacific region.

Bernal says that they are taking steps in this direction. In Peru -where he resides- they already have that position, while in Ecuador, they are competing for second place, and in Chile, they are between second and third.

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For this reason, the company has been expanding and developing more and more products to increase the contact it has with its users, which, he says, is an advantage at a time when there is intense competition.

In the podcast Conversaciones DF dedicated this season to regional startups that have managed to position themselves in the world, Bernal said that 2021 was a year of solid growth in terms of city coverage. Overall they added 65 new points, but in Peru, they went from six to 12 cities, in Ecuador from three to six, and in Chile from six to 20.

“This year, there will be growth (in new geographic areas), but we want to focus a lot on consolidation because we see that there we have an important space for growth, to reach the entire territory with our value proposition,” he said.

The platform is in nine countries and could reach two more.

TURBO’S EXPANSION

In 2021, the Colombian company was launching quick-commerce services in several regions, with a promise of delivery of selected products in 10 minutes. For this, the deployment in dark stores is fundamental. However, it cannot be just any store: it has to be in high-demand areas, since these stores, which are about 180 m2 in size, have a radius of action of 2 kilometers in the surrounding area.

“Turbo is a significant bet for the company. We are opening several stores simultaneously in all countries,” says Bernal.

In Peru, they have 20 stores and are looking to reach 40 this year; in Ecuador, they are just opening the first one these weeks, but they want to reach 30, and in Chile, they have 11 and are looking to increase that number several times. However, they define the magnitude according to the greater geographic coverage they have.

The executive says that Rappi has done this independently and in alliances with third parties. In Colombia, for example, they do it with Grupo Exito.

On the challenges of this, for example, on the cost side, he said that while it was something they did not have in their model, they have a user base that uses these services where they are opening dark stores, so the investment they make has a lower risk.

This whole ecosystem of services has allowed the subscription plans offered by the company through Rappi Prime to be paying off. About 40% of user orders are from membership accounts.

They even launched Rappi Prime Plus, which has some extra benefits for a higher value. In Peru, the company has seen that 75% have opted to migrate to the new plan.

DEBUT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES IN CHILE

Another appropriate step that the company is taking is in its financial ecosystem to serve an audience that may not be banked through Rappi Bank.

This has been done in alliance with various players. For example, in Mexico with one of the largest players in the system: Banorte. In Colombia, they are with Davivienda and in Peru with Interbank.

In Chile, last year, they announced an alliance with Itaú. Bernal says they are in the product development stage and should soon see the first of these: a credit card.

This will help complement the emergence of other business areas that have been expanding in the region, such as Rappi Travel, which takes everything related to travel.

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