Zomato is the most famous and popular Indian food delivery as well as restaurant search software. The company was established in 2008 by visionary legends Pankaj Chaddah and Deepinder Goyal. Now, let us dive deep into the details of Zomato.
About Zomato
The company was initially called by the name ‘Foodiebay’. Today the company has become a one-stop destination for millions of foodies with restaurants. Also, restaurants can connect with customers seamlessly with this platform.
Zomato offers detailed information on the menu’s user reviews, prices, ratings, and location of the restaurants. Not just all this, but it also offers delivery services and online ordering services.
Zomato at a Glance
| Present CEO & MD | Deepinder Goyal |
| Year of Establishment | 2008 |
| Annual Revenue (as of FY24) | US$ 1.5 billion |
| Net Profit (as of FY24) | US$ 42 million |
| Origin | Gurgaon, Haryana, India |
| Type of Company | Public |
| Total no. of employees | 6,173 |
| Total assets (as of FY24) | US$ 2.8 billion |
SWOT Analysis of Zomato
Let us know in detail about the SWOT analysis of Zomato and see about its strengths, drawbacks, weaknesses, and opportunities in one go.
Strengths of Zomato
Zomato holds the following strengths –
Broad reach
The company has operations in more than 20 countries and is present in more than 15000 cities. Zomato has a very large customer base which makes it appealing to new customers as well as expand its services. The company also enables serving various countries as well as their cuisines which makes it a big differentiator in the market.
Since its inception, the company has been making strategic acquisitions as well as big investments in different markets that have increased its services expansion and have also helped in collaboration with different brands and companies.
Advanced technology
Zomato has been continuously leveraging the latest technology in the food delivery sector and using AI-based algorithms. It helps customers make personalized recommendations while placing their orders making it more enjoyable and convenient for them. This consistency has helped a lot in increasing the revenue of the company in recent years.
The company also invests hugely in technology that helps track the location of the customers as well as the delivery partners accurately. Another advanced technology is a drone-based delivery system that reduces the delivery time as well as cost.
Wide range of offerings
Besides food delivery, the company also offers online ordering restaurant reviews and table reservations. These services have made it very easy for the customers to order and you know search for their favorite restaurants whenever they wish. It clearly indicates that Zomato cares for its customers’ changing needs and strives to fulfill them.
With the review system of Zomato, you can also provide valuable feedback for a particular restaurant or for a particular dish that can help the restaurant improve its services to the next level.
Strong collaborations
The company has collaborations with KFC and PepsiCo in the food industry. The company’s partnership with Pepsico has allowed customers to order Pepsico products with their foods as well. With its partnership with Swiggy, it has also helped the company to pull different resources as well as compete more effectively in the food industry.
So as of now, the company has collaborations with more than 2.5 lakh restaurants across the globe. Not least, the company also partners with different payment gateways as well as banks making it easier for customers to perform their payments and get cashbacks or discounts.
Great customer support
The customer support team of Zomato is very prompt in dealing with various customer queries as well as complaints. The company has been investing usually in their chatbot system that handles the number of customer queries well making sure that their customers are getting helpful responses for their concerns. Also, it has a very strong social media presence through which customers can connect with the company and get their support. The team of Zomato is available 24/7 to make sure that customers may receive assistance at any time.
Weaknesses of Zomato
Here are some of the weaknesses that Zomato holds –
Dependency on discounts and offers
The company heavily depends on discounts to retain and attract customers which is one of its weaknesses. This leads to reduced profits and people make it a perception that the company is offering low-quality services. Moreover, customers may also over-consume the discounts and sometimes do not get ready to pay the total price in the future as they make it habitual to the discounts and offers that have been continuously offered. Usually, the discounting plan attracts customers who are interested in getting more discounts on their food products and are usually not loyal to the brand. This leads to reduced customer retention rates hampering the overall profitability of the company.
Limited location-wise reach
Zomato has been operating in more than 10 countries and has some limitations to its geographical locations as compared to its rivals. Since the company has very limited geographic reach it has to face issues regarding global competition and expanding its customer base. This results in minimized economies which makes it very difficult for the company to get profit in those markets having a very small customer base. Not least, having operations in different countries that may revolve around food-related laws, regulations, data privacy, etc.
Challenges related to operations
Zomato has a number of operational challenges food delivery delays, food quality issues as well as supply chain problems. This makes for bad customer feedback and minimizes customer loyalty. This results in hampering the company’s profitability to a greater extent. Moreover, this kind of challenge also increases the operational costs for Zomato as it requires some additional technology, training, etc.
Hence the company needs to maintain its standards of service and quality to expand into new markets.
Opportunities for Zomato
Irrespective of its huge success, Zomato can achieve more, and below are its opportunities –
Expanding into new markets
Even today, Zomato has a very significant space for growth in the markets. It can increase its customer base and can also diversify its revenue platforms while reducing its dependence on the single market. The company also has wide access to different food cultures as well as cuisines that help companies offer broad options. Also, to expand into new markets the company can have partnerships with food as well as online delivery companies that may further strengthen the brand recognition.
Sustainable solutions
Nowadays sustainability is receiving great attention among customers in the food industry as well. Zomato can encourage its restaurant partners to implement eco-friendly strategies while also promoting locally sourced food that will help reduce food waste. This way it can become a completely socially responsible company promoting the good health of the environment as well as public health.
Moreover, the company may also include eco-friendly strategies like biodegradable packaging, optimization of the logistic network, and reduction of food waste.
It can also leverage customers to create awareness among them about sustainability concerns in the food industry. Also, the company can also conduct educational seminars and events and may also collaborate with NGOs that can boost this sustainable vision.
Delivering different services
Zomato has a big opportunity to bring diversification to its sufferings and offer additional value to its customers. It may also include grocery delivery services male planning services or collaborating with other organizations to offer promotions and discounts. This way the company can also reduce its dependency on food delivery and elevate profitability.
This approach can also help the company get a competitive advantage over the rest food delivery companies. Moreover, it will attract new customers who are looking to use food delivery services.
Latest technology upgradation
Zomato is a tech-driven company that leverages the latest technology to constantly improve services and impress its customers. The latest technology may also include artificial intelligence that helps customize customer recommendations. The company may also invest in the mobile app as well as the website to make it competitively intuitive and user-friendly as compared to the competitors.
This way the company can retain its young and tech-savvy customers while reducing costs leading to high profitability and long-term goal achievement.
Threats to Zomato
Below are some of the threats that Zomato should remove –
Severe competition
Zomato confronts severe competition in the food delivery market. Its rivals include Uber Eats, Swiggy, Ola Foods, etc. This competitive behavior brings pricing wars, as well as minimizing profitability. It also creates a difficult situation in retaining customers. There is also a threat that Zomato’s business model may be replicated by the rivals which dilutes the unique strategy of the company. With the new players entering into the market, this pressure may further increase which may lead to challenges for the company.
The competitors of Zomato may also offer more attractive promotions as well as offers that may attract the present Zomato customers. Hence, it is essential for the company to constantly innovate and keep itself different in the marketplace.
Regulatory concerns
The company has various regulatory needs like labor laws licensing requirements as well as food safety regulations. It can increase compliance costs and affect the ability of the company to operate in particular markets. Moreover, regulatory changes may also bring a lot of disturbance in the supply chain operations affecting customer satisfaction and food delivery as well.
Suppose the company is not compliant with the regulations then it may tarnish the brand image. Therefore, Zomato needs to stay abreast of the competition with its updated regulatory changes and should also invest in various measures to deal with the risks connected.
Cyber security issues
Zomato has a huge amount of customer data including the payment information of the customers making it vulnerable to data breaches or cyber-attacks. Any kind of security attack can tarnish the reputation of Zomato and may also lead to legal as well as financial liabilities. Moreover, the frequency of cyberattacks has been increasing which is a major threat to the company’s security measures.
The company is dependent on third-party vendors for security services as well as technology which may increase the exposure to these risks. The cost of maintaining and implementing best-in-class security measures is one of the major challenges and failing to invest in them results in huge losses for the company as well as for the customers.
Top Competitors of Zomato
Here are the top four competitors of Zomato –
- Swiggy – It is also a famous food delivery platform offering a different range of restaurant options as well as features for exceptional delivery services.
- Uber Eats – In 2020 the company sold its operations in India to Zomato, but still, it is one of the strongest competitors across the globe for its seamless delivery services.
- Domino’s Pizza – Domino’s has been dominating the pizza market with its strong delivery infrastructure making it a competitor to Zomato in the food delivery industry.
- Dunzo – Dunzo is another great delivery service company offering delivery from groceries to restaurant food. It competes directly with Zomato in food-specific delivery options.
Conclusion
Zomato is undoubtedly the market leader in the food delivery as well as restaurant industry having a worldwide presence and a very strong brand image. The company has different threats as well as challenges like severe competition, reliance on the single market, cyber security issues, as well as regulatory concerns.
But among them to maintain its competitive responsibility, Zomato should capitalize on its opportunities to increase its revenue and brand presence. The company should also turn its weaknesses into strengths to thrive and offer value to its potential customers as well as stakeholders for a long time.