The online food order and the delivery system started with single restaurants having websites. The intention was to grow their business with new ideas. They were limited to a certain area and technology. This changed with the aggregator business model as an aggregator brings various restaurants and customers on a single platform. The delivery of the food was the main challenge in this business which was well managed by food aggregators like zomato and swiggy. The cloud kitchen concept has increased the scope of food aggregators.
In recent times, a significant jump has been seen in online food ordering. It has become a blessing for the people living alone with no cooking skills, having busy routines, or are not comfortable in restaurants. With exceptional marketing strategies, offers, and heavy discounts the food delivery apps like zomato and swiggy have been able to gain customers across the country. The online food delivery platform has changed the lifestyle of the consumers and their buying perception by providing excellent services to them.
The online food ordering concept is popular in metro cities but during the pandemic people across the country became familiar with online food order systems. It is effortless and provides more variety in affordable pricing. Apart from quality services, these apps allow the customers to get some discount on each order. It could be a master strategy to engage the customers on their platform.
Major online food ordering platforms in India
On 14 July 2021, Zomato launched a 9375 Crore IPO in the Indian share market, this shows how much potential is in the Indian market for the food tech platforms. Another food tech giant Swiggy is all set to launch its IPO to raise as much as $1 billion. These two food aggregators have provided the best-in-class facilities to the customers and changed the way Indians eat. Ubereats, foodpanda are some other good food tech platforms serving the Indian market.
Zomato – Best In Online Food Order
Started in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, Indian multinational restaurant aggregator and food delivery company zomato is the leading food delivery service provider in India. It offers different offers and deals to the customers when they order food from their favorite restaurants. The membership program helps the customer avail extra discounts and some other privileges. The zomato pro membership benefits can be availed by anyone by paying a small subscription fee.
Swiggy – A Trendy App In Online Food Order
Bengaluru-based online food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy was founded in July 2014. It operates in nearly 500 Indian cities making it the second largest in its field. The platform is very popular in southern India and metro cities, it is a reliable destination for online food ordering. The food items are delivered to your doorstep from your favorite restaurants at affordable prices, you can use swiggy discount coupons provided by the company or coupon websites in order to save big on your orders.
Uber Eats
Uber Eats is an online food order and delivery platform which is a subsidiary of US-based multinational company Uber. The users can get access to the menus, reviews, ratings, and order & pay for food orders to the restaurants in their city. The app is available for both Android and iOS users. The latest news is that Uber Eats has been acquired by Zomato. So, your Uber eats account made after July 1, 2019, is shifted to Zomato.
Amazon Fresh – Focus on Grocery
Amazon grocery is now going popular. Users can order the grocery via then Amazon Fresh. In top metro cities, we’ve seen a lot of adoption for online grocery and mostly is from the youth. No body want to go to shop for just buying their item, now days people prefer to buy things from the online app. And in the grocery business Amazon Fresh is playing a very important role. In 300 plus cities Amazon fresh is serving and delivering the grocery quickly.
Larger varieties of food items and timely delivery
Those were the days when we had to plan a trip to taste the food of different states as there were a few restaurants offering varieties of food items in our city. With the advent of technology and ideas, food aggregators like zomato and swiggy are delivering food of your choice to your doorstep at reasonable prices. Nowadays, you may get a pizza delivered to your home within 15 to 30 minutes and dishes within 30 to 50 minutes. It also depends on the distance between your home and the restaurant.
Timely delivery matters for the youth of the nation as they are super busy in their work, when they get the time for lunch, they don’t expect delays. Matching these requirements i.e. varieties and timely delivery, the food delivery apps have gained the trust of the customers. In response to these extraordinary services, they have got the overwhelming support of the customers.
Budget-Friendly Recipes
The recipes on the food ordering and delivery apps are listed by the restaurants of your locality. The rate of the dishes will be approx the same as compared to the offline stores, however, it completely depends on the restaurant type and quality of the recipes. Like if you can get biryani at 200 from your local stores, then it will cost approx 200 on online food ordering platforms also, even with the zomato coupon codes, you can reduce the cost of the item. The plus point is that you will get the dish at your doorstep.
Different food tech start-ups may provide you meals at a much lower cost but there are chances that you have to compromise with the quality of the food. The reviews and ratings may help you determine the quality product at a reasonable cost. During festivals, these platforms offer exceptional deals in order to increase their sale as people are willing to spend at this time.
You will have easy access to the all restaurants of your city listed in the app. Along with the menu, you get a deep insight of the restaurants by reviews, ratings, images, etc. One more benefit of online food ordering is that you can order the main course from a restaurant and deserts from another restaurant at the same time. You have options to add any instructions you like extra cutlery, salad, etc., or leave it. Furthermore, recognizing the work of the delivery agents, you can add tips via platform or directly to their pocket.
Offers and Discounts
The discounts provided on each order is the strategy of the companies to engage and retain customers to their platform. Exclusive deals, sales, promo codes, and coupons are provided to the customers on a regular basis. Many times the discounts on online food order apps go up to 60 to 80% which is insane.
To get the best deals the customers should stick to a reliable coupon website as they have a separate page for each store and all of the active coupons of a particular store are listed there. So, identifying the suitable and best deal for you will be very easier as compared to the official site facilities.
I would like to tell you about a personal incident here. Once I ordered veg biryani on zomato for which it was showing 24 minutes of delivery time on my address. Unfortunately, the order was late and it got delivered in one and a half hours. Meanwhile, I have called the support team to know what is happening. At last, for that order, I received a 200 rupee food voucher, and the ordered food also.
Before applying a coupon, you should go through the terms and validity once to avoid any kind of failure. If everything goes fine, you will see a drastic change in your total bill.
The Future of the Food Tech Industry in India
Technology has been changing everything around us rapidly. The impact of the internet and technology can be seen clearly in the functions of every industry, and the food industry is no exception.
Nowadays, at the click of a few buttons on your smartphone, you can receive delicious meals at your home. The food tech industry has emerged as the fastest-growing industry in the country. The growth is not stopped here, with the new ideas and better technology the industry is revolting itself day by day.
The innovations like Smart QR Menu and Contactless payments are adding a feature to the cap. The delivery time has reduced drastically and tracking of the food items is more advanced. The concept of a cloud kitchen will create a scope for the restaurant aggregators and owners.
Apart from this, the use of AI and Blockchain technologies may take this industry to another level. With the advent of technologies, companies are planning to use drones instead of delivery partners for a contactless and fast delivery to your doorstep. It will be a massive change in the online food ordering industry. Many developed countries are using such technologies to deliver food rapidly to their customers.
Conclusion
Food ordering platforms have emerged as a significant part of our life. The day comes in everyone’s life when they don’t want to cook the food or want to taste something special and delicious. Zomato and Swiggy like online food order and delivery apps are the first choices of the youth as these techno freak guys don’t wanna waste their time on less important things while chasing their dreams.
As you can see in this article online food delivery is growing day by day and people are much more interested to order online actually they are habitual for shopping with online by apps.