Talabat and BlaBlaCar: Platform Analysis, Growth, and Strategies

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of Talabat and BlaBlaCar, two prominent platforms in the food delivery and carpooling sectors, respectively. It begins by examining the platform initiation of each company, identifying the multiple sides of their business models and the network effects, both positive and negative, that influence their operations. The report then delves into the strategies employed by both companies to achieve platform growth, including tactics such as promotional offers, partnerships, and subsidization. The analysis extends to an examination of how each platform generates revenue, exploring their chosen monetization strategies and potential alternative income streams. Finally, the report identifies the main competitors of Talabat and BlaBlaCar, providing insights into the competitive landscape. The report concludes by discussing the value creation and capture mechanisms of these platforms, offering a holistic view of their business strategies and market positions.

Running Head: TALABAT COMPANY AND BLA BLA CARS
Talabat Company and Bla Bla Cars
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Platform Initiation
Question: How many sides does this platform have (cars and people for example) what are they?
Answer: Talabat Company: According to Sharma and Waheed (2018), Talabat Company in the
Middle-East countries is one of the largest food ordering company. There are two sides for the
business of this company. On one side, the company deals with restaurants, food joints and snacks
shop. On the other hand, the company deals with customers across the Middle-East countries. The
company act as an intermediary between the business and the customers like other online food
ordering application. The company deals with the big business organization like Burger King, Pizza
Hut, KFC, Subway and Papa John’s. The platform connects the customer with the restaurants along
the region. The company follow B2B and B2C business model. Therefore, it possess an effective
and wide range of communication channel between the customer as well as business firm.
Bla Bla Cars: The Bla Bla Cars Company is a French carpooling company. The company mainly
deals with both service providers and customers through online. The platform or application
connects the drivers with the customers. Therefore, the company follow both B2B and B2C
business model. It possess both the service provider database as well as customer database like any
other carpooling company. All the European countries is been serve by this application and
platform based company. It helps the customer as well as service providers to travel together across
the cities. The company provide customer service as well as business to the service provider. It act
as an intermediate between the customer and service providers (Czarnecki 2018). The
communication is main aspect of earning profit, as it is an online company.
Question: What are the various network effects within and across its sides? Are they always
positive or do you also detect some negative ones?
Answer: Talabat Company: The network of the company is widely spread across the Middle-East
countries. The promotion in the social media platform also help the company to grow in the market

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and earn profit. The network is distribute evenly to communicate with both the customer and the
service provider through different communication channel. The promotional code is provide like
any other food application to the customer as well as the service provider. The customer can get the
contact number of the restaurants and can order online (Hein, Schreieck, Wiesche and Krcmar
2016).
The effect is not always positive there are some negativity in it too. Sometimes, due to
heavy usage, the application or platform shuts down or slow down which can distract the customer
and they might shift to the other application.
Bla Bla Cars: According to Munoz and Cohen (2017), the two-way network is effect in nature as it
deals with both the customers as well as with the service providers. Therefore, there is constant
economic generation, which is going on in the process. The company need to look after the server
so that the effective communication can happen between the two. The company provide various
offers to the customers to use their application to book a car as well as they promote in social
media.
There are some negative point as well. Sometimes, the driver cancel the trip, which cause a
negative effect in spite promoting so much through different channels. This is bad for both the
service provider and the company to continue the business in the future.
Platform Growth
Question: How did the platform scale up from a few initial customers to a larger customer
base? Briefly discuss what tactics they used for scaling. For instance, platforms may heavily
promote their service, offer free goods, partner with other well-known businesses, etc. Please be
specific on how your platforms scaled.
Answer: Talabat Company: The Company scale up their platform by promoting in different social
media platform. In the initial stage, the Talabat Company gave away, free ordering of food to the

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customers to explore the application or platform and refer it to their close ones. All the online food
ordering company usually do that in the initial stage. This helps the company to grow in the market.
The company also collaborate with the renowned restaurants and food centres, which will
automatically attract the customer so that a huge database of customers created out of it. Then,
occasionally providing with discounted offers to the customers will attract more customers. This
will help the company to grow and hold a huge market share in the near future, so that the company
prosper in the market (AlAjeel 2018).
Bla Bla Cars: The carpooling service, which is offer by the company, require continues promotion
in the market. The promotion and free rides coupon will help the company to become popular in the
market, continues promotion in social media, and through different medium is require making
aware of the company. This will automatically help the business to grow in the market and become
popular, so that the company can make a strong database of the customers as well as the service
providers. The company need to give certain benefits to the service providers as well which will
attract them to collaborate with the company for providing services to its customer base. The
company will grow in the process and will succeed. In this way, the company scale up to become
successful in the future (Hernández, Cárdenas and Muñoz 2018).
Question: How important was subsidization to the growth? If relevant, explain which side(s) is / are
the ‘loss leader’ side, and which side(s) are the profit-making sides. (Do they charge customers for
example or the drivers or both) any other side they charge?
Answer: Talabat Company: The growth of the company is not entirely dependent on the
promotion. The subsidization is also an integral part for the growth of the company. The company
mainly incurs the loss so that both the side stay with the company. The loss is incur in the initial
stage by the company. Later, the promotional activity is done out of profit so that no side suffer
loss. If the company is unable to provide any promotional codes then company goes on an
agreement with the business firm so that they can give the on a subsidise rate ensuring that they

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will get more customer from their end, which will automatically help them to earn profit in the
long-run. This automatically help the intermediate company to grab the customer’s attention
towards the service provider and no one face any loss (Abul-Magd 2014).
Bla Bla Cars: The car service needs to provide free ride to the customer to make them aware of the
company. The company then come to an agreement with the drivers to charge low rate initially so
that more customer get attracted. This will increase the revenue generation of the company and they
can compensate the loss of the drivers, which will ultimately help both the company, and the driver
to run the business. The company then charge the customer as per location and time, which
ultimately help the driver and company to earn more, and there is no chance to come to an
agreement of subsidising the rate. In this business structure the customer usually pay more but they
get benefits in terms of service during odd hours. Therefore, there is a balance between the two,
which ultimately help the company to flourish in the market (Virkus 2017).
Platform Making Money
Question: How did the platform choose to make Money?
Answer: Talabat Company: According to Al Sharekh (2018), the platform make money from both
the end. The customers pay the money to the company and the company get commission from the
business firms for providing them with huge customer. The intermediate company earn a lot of
money from both the sides. They also provide discount coupons, which ultimately attract more
number of customers and take less commission from the business firm so that they collaborate with
them. This ultimately help the business to run smoothly and earn more profit from both the
business firm as well as from the customers. Therefore, the business run in a very effective business
model where they earn more by investing less in the process and can capture the market in the end.
This is how they make money from both the users.
Bla Bla Cars: The platform make money by providing carpool service to the customers and taking
commission from the drivers. The driver provide certain amount as commission to the company

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which is comparatively low and the application charge higher according to place and time which
help them to sustain in the market. They also provide free ride, which attract the customer to use
their application or platform, and discount from time to time. The company incur loss initially but
then they earn huge amount of profit from both the end, which help them to grow in the market.
This is ultimately the best way to earn profit as they are earning from both the end, which
ultimately help to grow and capture the market in the near future. This works in the same model
like Uber is continuing their business (Morabito 2015).
Question: What alternative money making strategies are possible for the platform?
Answer: Talabat Company: The Company possess some alternative money making strategies by
providing offers, which can be avail on purchase of certain amount of product or service. This will
automatically help the company to earn more and more profit. This is a strategy for making money
in an alternative way. Many of online food ordering company adopt the strategy. The other strategy
to make money is by promoting small business firms and their food products in cheap and low
price, which will automatically attract the customers in large number and the company as will earn
huge sum of money as the product offered by the company is already subsidise to make the
collaboration with the company. The company will earn more and more profit with this type of
strategy in the end (Asha and Al Hawi 2016).
Bla Bla Cars: The company charges high amount of money during certain hours with respect to
place and time. This automatically help the company to earn more from the customer. The service
is provide in the odd hours, so the consumers usually avail the service in spite of high price. The
company then use this profit to give discounts to the new users, which automatically attract them to
avail services from the company. This helps the company to earn profit. The company sustain in the
market and grow in the process due to this alternative strategy to earn more amount of money from
the market. This is how the service providing company earn profit from the customers and attract
more in order to earn more in the future (Andrei and Zait 2018).

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Platform Competition
Question: Name the most powerful competitor to this platform.
Answer: Talabat Company: The main competitors of the brand are delivery hero, yemekse, order
up, eat street, menulog and olo. All the competitors follow the same business model to earn money
and profit from the market. There is a huge competition between the brands in terms of market,
customer database, generating revenue from the market and earn money. The competition help the
business to grow in the market and apply new model in the market so that they can grow
constantly. The competitors make the company to adopt new model so that they can do well in the
market. The Talabat Company is consider the best among the competitors as they provide better
service to the customers as well as the service providers which help them to be the best among the
all the competitors (Nakhoul, Safieddine and Ismail 2017).
Bla Bla Cars: The main competitors of the company is oszkar.com, better taxi, ridejoy, rido and so
on. The company can be better than the rest by providing the customer with low and cheap ride,
which will attract the customers to select the company over the others. This will ultimately help the
company to earn more and more profit in the end. The competitors services should be analyse
properly by the company so that they can introduce better plan to compete with the competitors.
This will enhance the services of the company to earn profit and will automatically attract the
customers in large number. Other start-up is trying to penetrate the market, which need to be look
into so that the company’s existence is not in a risk (Fabo, Beblavý, Kilhoffer and Lenaerts 2017).
Platform Value Creation and Capture
Value Creation
Question: How is the platform adding value to its customers? Value may be added from improved
convenience, better overall experience, cost reduction, etc. Clearly discuss the various ways in
which your platforms add value.

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Answer: Talabat Company: According to Safieddine and Nakhoul (2018), the company need to
add value to their customers as it help the company to be a better version than the rest. The
customer’s convenience, experience should be evaluate and should give value so that the company
can come to know the actual need and want of the customers. This will help the company to sustain
in the market and earn more and more profit. Therefore, to evaluate the services they have provided
they need to evaluate accordingly so that they can make the customer experience better in the
future. This help the company to have a knowledge about the drawbacks of the company’s services.
By improving such drawbacks, the company will be able to earn profit and attract more customer.
Bla Bla Cars: The customer feedback should give immense value as it helps the company to be
better while providing services and make the company grow in the future (Osterwalder, Pigneur,
Bernarda and Smith 2014). The car service is important service in recent times as crime is
increasing gradually. The company should look into the safety of both the drivers and the
customers. To evaluate the service a feedback form should forwarded electronically which will help
the company to improve their services and grow in the market. The better services provided by the
company will attract huge number of customers. This will automatically help the company to
develop and grow in the market. Therefore, immense importance should given to the customer
feedback and value to the customer.
Value Capture
Question: How can the platform further capture value? Put differently, suggest at least 1 extension
for the platform (additional side), through which it can monetize its value.
Answer: Talabat Company: The Company can further provide value to the customers as it helps
the company to retain the customers in the end. The customer turns into the loyal ones when they
get extra from the company by spending less in the process (Jaz, AlSabah and Sarfraz 2018). The
one extension in value to the customer that can be add by the company is that the company can
provide them with rewards for being loyal to the company. This will automatically attract the

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customer to stick to the same company and not to swipe from one company to other. This will help
the company to attract more people and they will earn profit from the customers as well as from
those who have been refer by the loyal customers.
Bla Bla Cars: The Company need to provide some additional value to the customers to attract
more people so that the company can earn huge amount of profit in the future (Hartmann, Zaki,
Feldmann and Neely 2016). The company need to give benefit to the customers like providing
those rewards and loyalty points, which will automatically attract the customers to earn more and
this, will eventually attract more customers. This need to be look by the company to earn more
customers and can compete with the competitors in the market. This will help the company to grow
in the market and earn huge amount of profit from it.

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