--- title: "Lessons from Careem: how it won" description: "How Careem won, how to copy its best moves in your city, and where it is weak. A free, sourced playbook for local delivery founders." canonical: https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/careem/ --- # What Careem can teach your delivery business. A Dubai-born super app that bundles food delivery, grocery, payments and other everyday services in one login across the Middle East. [See how they won](#winning-moves)[Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book) - Region Middle East - Headquarters Dubai, UAE - Founded 2012 - Owner Uber (62.47% of Careem Technologies after buying 12.5% from e& in June 2026); e& holds 37.53% At a glance ## How Careem works Careem Food and its Quik grocery service earn fees from restaurants and customers, while Careem Plus sells a monthly membership with free delivery and discounts. Careem Pay adds wallet, bills and remittances, so one customer uses several services. Status as of October 2026 Careem's ride-hailing has been owned by Uber since 2020 and is separate from the Careem super app (food, grocery, payments), now majority owned by Uber since June 2026. In May 2026 Careem reportedly paused food, grocery and quick commerce in Saudi Arabia while keeping rides. In July 2026 Uber also bid for Delivery Hero, talabat's parent. - When Careem launched its super app rollout in March 2020, it reported 33 million registered users and more than 10,000 partner restaurants across 13 countries. [Images RetailME](https://www.imagesretailme.com/?p=23960) - In April 2023 e& agreed to invest USD 400 million in the Careem super app; Careem said UAE food orders grew 86% in 2022 and its Quik grocery service grew 46 times. [Images RetailME](https://www.imagesretailme.com/?p=35206) - On 1 June 2026 Uber bought a further 12.5% of Careem Technologies from e& for USD 100 million. [Khaleej Times](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uaes-e-sells-125-stake-in-careem-to-uber-for-100-million) - In the first half of 2026 Careem Technologies reported revenue of AED 884 million, up 20%, and an operating loss of AED 447 million. [AGBI](https://agbi.com/tech/2026/08/careem-super-app-revenue-rises-but-losses-deepen) How they won ## Careem's four winning moves What they did, why it worked, and how you can run the same move in one city on a small budget. 1. 01 ### One app for many daily needs What they did Starting in March 2020 Careem combined rides, food and shop delivery, and payments in a single app with one sign-in, one wallet and a shared rewards program. Points could be used across rides, food and donations. Why it worked A customer who already trusts the app for one service can try food or groceries with no new download or sign-up. Copy it locally Put restaurants, a grocery store, a pharmacy and a courier or parcel option in one app under one account and one loyalty wallet. Cross-promote: a food customer gets a voucher for the first grocery order. [Source: Images RetailME](https://www.imagesretailme.com/?p=23960) 2. 02 ### Flat fees instead of commission What they did In February 2021 Careem dropped percentage commissions for UAE restaurants and offered four monthly subscription tiers by business size. Its argument was that discovery, delivery and payments cost the same whether an order is AED 50 or AED 500. Why it worked Restaurants tired of paying a share of every order got a predictable cost, giving Careem a reason for merchants to join and promote it. Copy it locally Offer restaurants a flat monthly plan or a low fixed fee per order instead of a big percentage. Publish the pricing on one page so restaurants can compare it with what the big app charges them. [Source: Wamda](https://www.wamda.com/en/2021/02/careem-introduces-commission-free-model-uae-restaurants) 3. 03 ### Careem Plus membership What they did In April 2021 Careem launched Careem Plus in Dubai at AED 39 a month, with free food delivery, ride cashback and bike access. Careem said average members saved more than twice the fee each month. Why it worked Bundling benefits across services makes the membership feel valuable even for people who order food only sometimes. Copy it locally Create one membership that unlocks free delivery on food and groceries plus a perk from a local partner such as a gym, car wash or cafe. Promote it at checkout when a customer pays a delivery fee. [Source: Wamda](https://www.wamda.com/en/2021/04/careem-launches-subscription-model-careem-plus) 4. 04 ### Fast grocery delivery with Quik What they did In late 2021 Careem launched Quik in Dubai, promising groceries in about 15 minutes from small dark stores in dense areas such as JVC, Dubai Marina and Business Bay. It then expanded across Dubai and other cities. Why it worked Starting in the densest neighborhoods kept delivery distances short and made the fast promise realistic. Copy it locally Partner with one well-stocked minimarket in your densest neighborhood and offer express delivery only within a small radius. Expand the zone only when delivery times stay reliable. [Source: Wamda](https://wamda.com/2021/12/careem-enters-quick-commerce-space-launch-dark-store-grocery-network) Where they are weak ## Three gaps you can use against Careem Every giant has blind spots. These are the ones a focused local operator can turn into an advantage. - ### Small share of UAE food delivery In May 2022 Careem's food service held about 4% of UAE food delivery while talabat held most of the market. Food is one service among many in its app, which leaves room for focused local players with deeper restaurant relationships. [Source: AGBI](https://www.agbi.com/articles/uae-food-delivery-sector-has-strong-appetite-for-growth/) - ### Growing losses Careem Technologies reported an operating loss of AED 447 million in the first half of 2026, up by almost a third. Pressure to cut losses can mean fewer promotions and less attention for smaller restaurants and cities. [Source: AGBI](https://agbi.com/tech/2026/08/careem-super-app-revenue-rises-but-losses-deepen) - ### Pulling back in some markets In May 2026 Careem was reported to have paused food, grocery and quick commerce in Saudi Arabia, keeping only mobility. Restaurants and shoppers left without a service are an opening for a local marketplace. [Source: MENA Startup Digest](https://menastartupdigest.com/?p=38070) Build it with Ordering.co ## The tools to run Careem's playbook in your city Each of these features is included in every Ordering.co plan. [See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/) - ### Store categories and ribbons For 'One app for many daily needs', organize restaurants, a grocery store and a pharmacy into categories in one marketplace app so customers find every service under one account. - ### Points wallet To copy the shared rewards behind 'One app for many daily needs', let customers earn and spend reward points on any store in your app, food or grocery alike. - ### Advanced offers For the cross-promotion in 'One app for many daily needs', target a customer segment such as food buyers with an offer on their first grocery order. - ### Store invoices To run 'Flat fees instead of commission', invoice each restaurant with the custom commission and price you set, such as a flat monthly plan or a fixed fee per order. - ### Loyalty levels In place of the 'Careem Plus membership' move, use tiered loyalty that rewards your most frequent customers across food and grocery orders. - ### Delivery zones For 'Fast grocery delivery with Quik', draw a small express zone around one well-stocked minimarket in your densest neighborhood and widen it only when delivery times stay reliable. More lessons ## Learn from other giants [All giants](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/) - [Middle EastKeetaMeituan's international food delivery app, which took its China playbook of free delivery, on-time guarantees and dense rider networks to the Gulf.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/keeta/) - [Middle EastNoon FoodThe food delivery service inside noon's shopping super app, positioned as the lower-commission, restaurant-friendly option in the UAE.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/noon-food/) - [Middle EasttalabatThe leading food and grocery delivery app in the Gulf and wider Middle East, operating in eight countries from its Kuwait roots.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/talabat/) ## Sources 1. [Images RetailME](https://www.imagesretailme.com/?p=23960) 2. [Images RetailME](https://www.imagesretailme.com/?p=35206) 3. [Khaleej Times](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uaes-e-sells-125-stake-in-careem-to-uber-for-100-million) 4. [AGBI](https://agbi.com/tech/2026/08/careem-super-app-revenue-rises-but-losses-deepen) 5. [Wamda](https://www.wamda.com/en/2021/02/careem-introduces-commission-free-model-uae-restaurants) 6. [Wamda](https://www.wamda.com/en/2021/04/careem-launches-subscription-model-careem-plus) 7. [Wamda](https://wamda.com/2021/12/careem-enters-quick-commerce-space-launch-dark-store-grocery-network) 8. [AGBI](https://www.agbi.com/articles/uae-food-delivery-sector-has-strong-appetite-for-growth/) 9. [MENA Startup Digest](https://menastartupdigest.com/?p=38070) Ordering.co is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Careem. Names and trademarks belong to their owners and are used here for commentary and education. Facts come from the public sources listed on this page, checked in October 2026. ## Build your own Careem, for your city. Tell us your market and what you want to launch. We will show you how Ordering.co runs the stores, orders, payments and delivery behind it. [Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book)[See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/)