The delivery brand begins its pilot operation in the municipalities of Santos and São Vicente, on the coast of São Paulo, on October 30th. Arrival in Brazil is the first step in the R$5.6 billion investment projected by the company over the next five years — and a new chapter in the fight for the delivery app market in the country.
The choice of Santos and São Vicente has a geographical motivation: Meituan wants to start operating in the city of São Paulo as soon as possible, in 2025. On the other hand, the company justifies that the city of Santos has a high number of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in the delivery sector, even higher than São Paulo, 82% of the total orders originated compared to 69%.
This dynamic allows Meituan to use its technology to improve efficiency for consumers and “benefit the ecosystem”. The company hopes to reduce losses throughout the delivery process with the prototype in Baixada Santista, as well as encourage the growth of local restaurants and increase the safety and efficiency of delivery drivers.
FREE TOOL
XP simulator
Find out in 1 minute how much your money can yield
“High-quality assistance for partner restaurants of all sizes, including SMEs, offered through advanced technology and dedicated human support, with a team of more than 1,000 account managers in Brazil, is a strong point of Keeta,” says Keeta’s president of international operations, Tony Qiu. “This approach has allowed us to build a robust and mutually beneficial ecosystem in China over the last 14 years, and now we will localize this approach to best serve Brazil.”
With its arrival in October, Keeta marks its position in the increasingly disputed delivery war, marked by the arrival of the Chinese company, the return of competitor 99Food and new moves by Rappi to gain a share of the market dominated by iFood in Brazil.
The three competitors are fighting a battle at the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade), the country’s competition regulatory body. This week, Rappi asked to be part of a lawsuit filed by Keeta against 99Food over exclusivity clauses involving partner restaurants.
So far, Keeta has registered more than 700 restaurant brands from Santos and São Vicente in the pilot operation and this week trains more than 2,000 local delivery drivers.
The company asked to be part of the process opened at Cade, the body that regulates competition in Brazil. The company alleges, in the request, that 99Food — which recently returned to operating in the country in the cities of São Paulo and Goiânia — would be including, in its contractual clauses with restaurants, a prohibition on establishments maintaining a commercial relationship with Rappi.
Meituan serves 770 million people a year and has an average of 80 million orders daily. Defying iFood’s 80% market dominance, the company is the absolute leader in the meal delivery sector in China. The company serves 770 million people annually and averages 80 million orders per day.
Continues after advertising
Under the Keeta brand, Meituan marks its first major expansion in Latin America. With the same name, the company also operates in Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
