Multihoming and platform choice in online food delivery

Abstract

This paper examines multihoming in the Philippine online food delivery (OFD) market using two original cross‑sectional surveys of users and delivery riders. We distinguish two margins of platform participation: multihoming as a margin of engagement and single‑homing as a margin of specialization. On the user side, multihoming is more common among users with higher delivery demand, as spreading orders across platforms becomes attractive when demand is frequent enough to justify using two apps. Conditional on single‑homing, platform choice is shaped by a monetary service dimension: users in areas with larger rider networks are more likely to choose GrabFood, while those in areas with larger restaurant networks are less likely to do so. Loyalty also remains a strong sorting device. On the rider side, multihoming is concentrated in thicker local demand environments and is less prevalent among riders who report insufficient ride opportunities on competing apps. Conditional on single-homing, platform choice reflects the way platforms bundle demand, compensation, and administrative requirements, rather than differences in market size alone.

JEL classification: K21, L21, L50, L86