Gumi City’s "Good Platforms" Meokkabi and Tomi Call Revitalize the Local Economy

Meokkabi Secures 3,950 Franchise Stores and 57,875 Members
Now the Largest Public Delivery App in North Gyeongsang Province
Gumi Tomi Call Reduces Fee Burden, Expands Local Currency Payments

As high intermediary fees charged by large platforms burden small business owners, Gumi City is driving local consumption and capital circulation by promoting its public delivery app and local call taxi services.

As of the end of July, Gumi City's public delivery app "Meokkabi" had secured 3,950 participating stores and 57,875 members.

Cumulative sales reached 38.6 billion won, with more than 1.5 million cumulative orders, making it the largest public delivery platform in North Gyeongsang Province.

Poster for Gumi City's public delivery app 'Meokkebi'
[Provided by Gumi City]

"Meokkabi," which launched in 2021, charges an intermediary fee of just 1.5%. There are no membership or advertising fees either.

Based on an average order amount of 25,000 won, small business owners can save an average of 4,187 won per order compared to private delivery apps, effectively reducing their operational burden.

"Meokkabi" has shown a clear growth trend.

From January to July this year, sales reached 8.9 billion won, marking a 50% increase from the same period last year. The number of orders also rose to 330,000, up 42% year-on-year.

Notably, support for payments via the Gumi Love Card (local currency) has created a virtuous cycle in which the regional currency is spent again within local markets.

This approach reduces the outflow of local funds that can occur when using private platforms, ensuring that spending remains within neighborhood businesses.

The city is also working to build consumer trust.

It operates a "Lowest Price Guarantee Report Center," where consumers who report prices on "Meokkabi" higher than on other private delivery apps receive a 3,000 won discount coupon.

New members are offered a 3,000 won discount benefit, and regular discounts are held every Wednesday and Saturday.

The city plans to further expand special discounts in connection with regional festivals.

Gumi is also applying a platform strategy targeting the local economy in the market for call taxi services.

The integrated branded call taxi "Gumi Tomi Call," launched on July 1, applies lower membership fees than larger platforms and eliminates separate call fees, alleviating the burden on taxi drivers.

This structure minimizes the outflow of service fees outside the region in the use of such platforms, thereby enhancing capital circulation within the local economy.

Telephone bookings are available as well, improving accessibility for the elderly and other digitally vulnerable groups who may not be used to app-based services.

Building on the existing paper-type Gumi Love Gift Certificates, the city has expanded card-type payments to all individual and corporate taxis, enhancing both citizen convenience and the use of local currency.

Gumi City is also strengthening its consumption promotion policies utilizing local currency.

This year, Gumi Love Gift Certificates are being issued at a total value of 168.2 billion won. For the first time in North Gyeongsang Province, out-of-town tourists who stay at local accommodations can be reimbursed with gift certificates worth 2,000 to 6,000 won, depending on their accommodation expenses.

Visitors to park golf courses can use receipts for local purchases exceeding 50,000 won as entrance tickets. The city is also developing "1 Night, 2 Days" packages that connect local businesses with park golf.

Gumi Mayor Jangho Kim stated, "The 9th popularly elected administration places the highest priority on supporting neighborhood businesses and small business owners," adding, "We will establish a support system that translates large-scale investment attraction into tangible benefits for neighborhood economies."

The city also operates the "Gumi City App Portal," which allows users to access all local economy-related mobile services, including Gumi Love Gift Certificates, Meokkabi, and Gumi Tomi Call, in one place.

As the results of major corporate investment attraction must be linked to local businesses, the role of local "virtuous cycle platforms" — systems that ensure money earned in the region is also spent there — is becoming ever more important.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.