
How Does Postmates Make Money

Co-founder, CEO & CTO
Table of Contents
- What is Postmates: How Does It Work?
About Postmates
How Does Postmates Work?
Working for Postmates
Delivering for Postmates
How Much Do Delivery Drivers on Postmates Make Per Hour?
How to Get Started to Become a Postmates Driver?
- What is the Postmates Business and Revenue Model?
Postmates Funding, Revenue, and Valuation
Postmates Income: Sources of Revenue
1.Postmates Unlimited (Subscription Service)
2.Commissions from Partnering with Merchants
3.Selling Products Through Their e-Commerce Store
4.Fees (delivery, small cart, and service fees)
Delivery Fee
Small Cart Fee
Service Fee
5. Gift Cards
Blitz Pricing (Surge Pricing)
- How Much Money Does Postmates Make?
Postmates Revenue and Usage Statistics [2022]
Postmates Key Statistics
Postmates Funding (Total)
Postmates Revenue
Postmates Profit
PostmatesValuation
- Why Build a Profitable On-demand Delivery App Like Postmates?
- Choose Dom&Tom to Build a Profitable App Like Postmates
What is Postmates: How Does it Work?
You might have already heard of Postmates but maybe you aren’t sure exactly what it is or how it works. Below is an overview of what this mobile application or delivery service is all about.
About Postmates
In 2011, founders Bastian Lehmann, Sam Street, and Sean Plaice launched Postmates at their San Francisco headquarters. In July 2020, Uber bought Postmates in a $2.6 billion all-stock deal.
Postmates is one of today’s successful
on-demand delivery companies that provides online delivery services. Customers
can order food, beverages, and other items, and deliver them to their homes,
offices, hotels, or wherever they want.
From Starbucks to liquor and grocery,
users can order just about anything using the Postmates app.
In addition to food delivery service,
Postmates offers a pick-up service, which allows customers to order from the
Postmates app, and then pick up the order in-store.
Using the Postmates’ pick-up feature is
pretty straightforward. Users just have to open the app and click on the
‘Pickup’ button.
The pick-up feature is a great way to
save money and time. What’s more, there are no phone calls needed and no
delivery fees.
The Postmates food delivery services have
many useful features including:
- Online payments
- Real-time order tracking
- Contactless delivery
- In-app tipping option
While customers can use the platform to
find restaurants 24/7, it is not a 24-hour delivery service.
This online food delivery platform starts
delivering breakfast at 7:00 AM. Many restaurants take an order and deliver it
until 10:00 PM.
How late Postmates deliver food depends
on the hours of operation of its merchant partners.
How Does Postmates Work?
Postmates is an online courier services company that uses web and mobile app technology.
Through their Postmates account, users
can order whatever they want. Orders are delivered anywhere in the US and
Mexico.
So this is how Postmates work. When
customers place their order, the platform will then place a temporary
authorization on their accounts.
A temporary authorization confirms that a
user’s Postmates card is active and that there is enough available balance to
cover any transaction. And then, a Postmates driver picks the item up and
delivers it to the customer.
Working for Postmates
Working for Postmates can be a great way
to earn extra money during free time. The current pandemic has boosted delivery
jobs and on-demand delivery companies are hiring.
People who are looking to make money with
Postmates may join the fleet. One of the big advantages of gig delivery jobs is
flexibility. And being on the Postmates Fleet allows people to work when it’s
more convenient for them.
Postmates couriers are independent
contractors. Meaning, they are being paid per delivery instead of receiving a
salary.
Interestingly, Postmates drivers are
addressed as ‘postmates’. And thus, a Postmates delivery driver is also known
as a ‘postmate’.
Here’s the job review:
Delivering for Postmates
Again, delivering for Postmates is an
excellent way to earn extra cash. Postmates drivers get paid every week.
But they also have the option to get paid
daily via Postmates’ Instant Pay feature. The good thing is that there’s no
limit as to how many times a postmate can use the instant payout.
How Much Do Delivery Drivers on Postmates Make Per Hour?
According to Glassdoor, the average base
pay for Postmates couriers is $13 per hour.
Still, how much Postmates drivers make
depends on the amount of time they spend on the app to make deliveries. And so,
earning $25 per hour is possible.
Providing great customer service can be a
big help when working in this business. A good delivery person with excellent
customer service skills can earn more money from bonuses and customer tips. The
platform allows couriers to keep 100% of the tips earned during deliveries.
How to Get Started to Become a Postmates Driver?
Here’s a list of Postmates courier
requirements. The driver must:
- be at least 18 years old if the
mode of transportation is a bike and 19 years old for those who drive cars and
motorcycles
- own a smartphone (iOS or Android) to access the Postmates Fleet app
- have car insurance, a valid
driver’s license and Social Security Number, which is a requirement for the
background check
What is the Postmates Business and Revenue Model?
Postmates’ income is a combination of
several revenue models such as:
- Marketplace business model
- Fee-for-service (FFS) business
model
- Transaction-based business
model
- Commission based business model
- Software as a service (SaaS)
business model
Postmates Funding, Revenue, and Valuation
On the 1st of May 2011, Postmates raised
its first seed of funding at $750 thousand.
Since then, the on-demand delivery service has raised $763 million in over 11 rounds of funding. This was before Uber acquired Postmates in December 2020 for $2.65 billion. As of late 2019, Postmates had a valuation of $2.6 billion.
Postmates Income: Sources of Revenue
As of 2021, Postmakes generates
revenue in 5 ways.
2.Commissions from Partnering with Merchants
Postmates has partnered with 75,000
restaurants across 4,200 cities in the US. In 2019, the company handled over 35
million deliveries worth more than $6.6 billion in transactions. DoorDash took
a portion of each transaction, which was made possible through their own food
ordering marketplace.
3.Selling Products Through Their e-Commerce Store
Postmates also makes money by selling
merchandise through their online store. Many of the items are for Postmates’
delivery drivers. The prices of the items range from $1.95 to $19.
4.Fees (delivery, small cart, and service fees)
Their fee structure is another way
Postmates earn money. The on-demand delivery platform charges things such as
delivery, small cart, and service fees.
Delivery Fee
Postmates adds a delivery fee for every
eligible order. The cost may vary depending on if the restaurant is a
partnering merchant or not. There is no delivery fee for Unlimited subscribers
with orders over $12.
Small Cart Fee
There is a small cart fee of $1.99 for
all customers (Unlimited members and non-members). Postmates tacks on a fee to
every order under $12. The small cart fee may vary depending on location.
Service Fee
Postmates charges a fee applied for every
purchase of an item, in which the percentage may vary depending on several
factors.
5. Gift Cards
Postmates offers gift cards to users to
purchase for their family, friends, colleagues, etc. Gift cards are available
online and on the Postmates app.
Solo gift cards are available in $25,
$50, $100, and $200 denominations. Gift cards available for Postmates Unlimited
members cost $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Blitz Pricing (Surge Pricing)
The platform has a surge pricing feature that may raise Postmates’ income from the aforementioned fees. It is a dynamic pricing method that allows multiple price increases. Blitz pricing applies when demand for deliveries surpasses online courier supply.
This feature motivates delivery drivers
to go online, log on to the app, and start taking orders to meet the demand (of
drivers). Blitz pricing creates a strong financial incentive for delivery
drivers.
Since Postmates drivers will make
themselves available when customers need them the most, the payout will be
higher because customers are willing to pay more. Simply put, dynamic pricing
allows a Postmates driver to make more money when the demand is high.
How Much Money Does Postmates Make?
Here, we have gathered some stats regarding how much Postmates generate revenue.
Postmates Revenue and Usage Statistics [2022]
On its launch in May 2011, the founders
of Postmates marketed the app as the new Craigslist. People in San Francisco
could order anything from the app. Postmates deliver orders, from food to
goods, in 2 to 4 hours.
Postmates originally targeted small
businesses. The company pivoted to consumers a few years after the launch.
Postmates survived payment to payment for the first 2 years without today’s annual billion-dollar rounds. In 2013, Founder’s Fund legitimized the industry by investing $5 million dollars into Postmates, leading to a wave of further investments.
A few months later, both Postmates competitors Instacart and DoorDash would land large Series A Rounds.
Postmates shouldn’t have survived in the
on-demand food delivery industry. Originally, its delivery fee was $9.99 flat,
which was higher than rivals DoorDash and Grubhub. Interestingly, many
customers in California were willing to spend more on delivery charges for
their favorites.
2015 saw Postmates finally lowering their
delivery fee to $3.99 exclusively for preferred merchants.
Moreover, Postmates was the first in the
industry to launch a pro service called “Unlimited”. For $9.99 a month, this
pro service will waiver the delivery charge for all orders over $30.
Unfortunately, Postmates’ market share
tumbled as more and more companies launched their on-demand delivery services,
especially when DoorDash and Uber Eats superseded Grubhub.
And while Postmates saw continued growth
in certain cities such as Charlotte, NC, and Los Angeles, it was far behind the
top rivals in total US market share.
In an attempt to fend off Uber Eats and Grubhub, DoorDash tried to merge with Postmates in 2018. But instead, DoorDash acquired Square’s on-demand delivery service, Caviar, when Postmates declined the offer.
Two years later, Uber acquired Postmates
for $2.65 billion, which eventually led to the laying off of 15% of Postmates
employees.
Postmates Key Statistics
- In 2018, Postmates reached over $1 billion in total sales. (CNBC)
- In 2019, Postmates had revenue
of $500 million. Although Postmates did not disclose any official numbers, many
believed it increased to $880 million in 2020.
- In 2020, Postmates was acquired
by Uber for $2.65 billion.
- A staggering 10 million monthly
active Postmates app users order over 5 million products a month.
- Postmates have over 600,000
merchants as partners on the platform.
- The portion of Postmates’ customers subscribed to its premium service is around 23%. (Second Measure)
Postmates Funding (Total)
Source: Crunchbase
Postmates Revenue
Sources: TechCrunch, Recode, The Information
Postmates Profit
Source: TechCrunch, QZ, Recode
Postmates Valuation
Sources: Business Insider, Crunchbase
Why Build a Profitable On-demand Delivery App Like Postmates?
The current global pandemic has caused a
rise in the demand for food delivery services. It rose even further as the
people follow social distancing principles.
Even before that, the rising demand for food delivery is already making restaurant sales grow. Likewise, millennials seem to prefer food delivery services and takeout rather than dining in a restaurant.
While more and more companies report a
decrease in their revenue after the COVID-19 outbreak, delivery services became
more in-demand. Postmates, in particular, became more profitable and powerful.
From a simple minimum viable product
(MVP), Postmates grew into a very successful app. Would you like to build your
own on-demand food delivery app like Postmates? We can help.
Choose Dom&Tom to Build a Profitable App Like Postmates
The last thing you need is a qualified
expert to bring your brilliant app idea into reality.
Dom&Tom has been working on the
mobile, web, and app development market for a long time. We have managed to win
the reputation of a trusted digital partner that can accelerate growth and
transform your business.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about food delivery app development today.






About the author

Co-founder, CEO & CTO
Dominic Tancredi co-founded Dom & Tom in 2009 and leads engineering, AI product development, and technical strategy. He writes on building, modernizing, and operating web, mobile, and AI-powered products.
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