Coupang Eats Unveils Innovative Budget-Based Search Algorithm: Will It Outpace Baedal Minjok in 2026?

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Analysts say Coupang Eats filed a patent for search and recommendation algorithms because prolonged high prices and an overload of information on delivery applications have reshaped user behavior. The company hopes to refine how people discover options to grow market share and narrow the gap with market leader Baemin.

Industry sources on the 8th say the newly proposed patent method uses a user-set “budget range” as the starting point for searches. Because it centers on price, the app could add an “Anything” option for users who haven’t picked a menu.

Coupang Eats says the service will let users set budgets like “under 10,000 KRW (≈ $7.50)” or “under 20,000 KRW (≈ $15.00)” and then recommend restaurants that fit those price tiers, including delivery fees. The app will prioritize the factors users care about—fast delivery (speed), store rating, number of reviews, price and available deals—to surface places that match those criteria.

The move aims to address limits in current delivery apps. Most platforms are organized by cuisine—Korean, Chinese, Western—so users who haven’t chosen a dish have to sift through long lists. Displayed prices can also change at checkout when delivery fees are added. With this patent, Coupang Eats could shift recommendations to use “total spend,” including delivery fees, as the baseline.

The company may also leverage data to improve recommendation accuracy. One likely approach is analyzing users with similar tastes to identify peer groups and then reflecting choices from “representative users” within those groups who have many orders. Coupang Eats could also update preferred categories and restaurant mixes based on recent order history to reflect changing tastes.

Executives and analysts see this effort as a response to prolonged inflation and structural shifts in the delivery market. The national data agency reports that consumer prices for dining out and personal services rose 3.2% in the first quarter—marking the fifth straight quarter in the 3% range after 3.1% in the same quarter last year. As consumers grow more sensitive to total spending and platforms are flooded with restaurant listings, information overload is raising user fatigue.

Coupang aims to make its app substantially more convenient and help price-sensitive users pick menus and restaurants that fit their budgets. The strategy is designed to attract new customers and increase order frequency among existing users. In its patent documents, Coupang said the technology “enables personalized information for each user,” noting that personalized content can raise purchase rates on e-commerce pages.

So far, major delivery platforms haven’t widely adopted this kind of recommendation technology. A delivery-platform official said, “No one in the industry has applied a structure that lets users set detailed preferences and then recommends menus based on those settings like Coupang Eats’ patent process describes.”

If implemented, observers say the service could reshape the delivery-app market. Coupang Eats—having overtaken Yogiyo to become No. 2—could close the gap with Baemin by offering superior technical convenience. The market has reached a point where coupons and faster delivery alone no longer reliably attract users.

According to IGAWorks’ Mobile Index, Baemin led March monthly active users with a 57.6% share. Coupang Eats recently surpassed a 30% market share, widening its lead over third-place Yogiyo (10%) while chasing Baemin. In March, Coupang Eats’ average credit/debit card payment per user was 122,129 KRW (≈ $91.60), higher than Baemin’s 105,687 KRW (≈ $79.27) and Yogiyo’s 67,582 KRW (≈ $50.69).

Coupang Eats remains cautious on a launch timeline. A company spokesperson said, “This is one of several patents covering features to provide a better customer experience, and we have no set plans to implement it.”