HIGHLIGHTS
- Zomato Limited (Zomato) launched in 2008, present in approximately 525 cities and partnered with nearly 390,000 restaurants in India, announces the launch of 10-minute food delivery service (Zomato Instant)
- Immediately after the announcement of the Zomato Instant service, the food delivery app was criticized for not taking the safety of its delivery partners seriously.
- Many customers have been attracted by quick grocery business services to fulfill their instant shopping needs.
FULL ARTICLE
Zomato Limited (Zomato) and fast food delivery service
Zomato Limited (Zomato) launched in 2008, is present in approximately 525 cities and works with nearly 390,000 restaurants in India. The company operates primarily as an Internet portal that provides various information, including menu details, contact details, discounts, service and food quality. Its technology platform connects customers, restaurant partners and delivery partners, serving diverse needs.
Recently on March 21, Deepinder Goyal, CEO of Zomato announced the launch of a 10-minute food delivery service (Zomato Instant). The 10-minute delivery service will only be available for items that are “common, standardized and therefore can be dispatched within 2 minutes”. Goyal wrote on LinkedIn and Twitter: “So far, no one in the world has delivered hot and fresh food in less than 10 minutes on a massive scale. We’re excited to be the first.”
A series of mixed reactions
Immediately after the announcement of the Zomato Instant service, the food delivery app was criticized and also questioned for not taking the safety of its delivery partners seriously. Many on social media called for a rethink, saying that food can wait as even ambulances in India take longer to reach patients. Some people on LinkedIn have questioned the need for such a model.
Gunjan Rastogi, a researcher at RSB Insights & Analytics, writes: “I don’t want to eat the food someone gave me while his life was in danger.
Karti P. Chidambaram, an Indian legislator, also expressed his opinion: “This is absurd! It will put undue pressure on the delivery staff.”
Critics say the risk of getting into a road accident in India is very high. Even in cities, most roads are full of potholes and motorists violate basic rules. The World Bank says one person dies on its roads every four minutes, and crashes kill around 150,000 people a year.
Grocery “fast-track” startups in India have been on the rampage with SoftBank-backed Blinkit and rapidly expanding rival Zepto. Delivery cyclists say they face pressure to meet deadlines, which often lead to speeding, for fear of being rebuked by store managers, Reuters reported in January.
Love the fast delivery
A 10-minute grocery delivery service is already available in India, but this is the first time a company has announced it will deliver food in 10 minutes. Swiggy Instamart and Blinkit are among the most popular quick grocery delivery platforms in the country.
Many customers have been attracted by quick grocery business services to fulfill their instant shopping needs. Sonu Sekharan, a LinkedIn user, said, “I’d be happy to have food in 10 minutes.”
In his latest Twitter post, Goyal made it clear that the company will continue to educate its delivery workers about road safety. He also revealed that delivery partners will not be notified of the promised delivery time. He believes this will ensure that no additional pressure is placed on the delivery agent. Goyal also promised not to issue any penalties for late deliveries.
For the release of this service, Zomato Instant will start with four stations on Gurugram from next month onwards. The company has yet to reveal any details on the progress of the roll out so far.
If Zomato Instant succeeds, it’s safe to say that rival food delivery apps like Swiggy will also launch similar fast food delivery services in the near future.
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