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When it comes to <keyword id="20667396" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="experimentation" source="keywords">experimentation</keyword>, <keyword id="20299302" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-delivery" source="keywords">food delivery</keyword> giant <keyword id="19901323" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zomato" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Zomato" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> has often been at the forefront. Be it engaging in a banter with other brands online or attempting to deliver food from the skies, the Gurugram-based company has never shied away from trying out new things. Recently, Zomato introduced the feature to let users schedule their food orders up to two days in advance. Founder and<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/zomato-will-absorb-around-280-paytm-employees-ceo-deepinder-goyal-says/articleshow/112738459.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank"> CEO Deepinder Goyal </a>announced the rollout of this feature across major cities including Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Jaipur. The new scheduling option aims to provide greater convenience for users, allowing them to plan their meals ahead of time. The feature is making headlines and is expected to solve people’s woes of not getting their food orders on time. But this isn’t the first time that Zomato has taken on an experiment to try and solve a larger problem. In the past, there have been many instances where the food-delivery giant tried something unheard of. Let us take a look at some of these instances here. <h2>1. Intercity Legends: A culinary journey</h2> In an ambitious attempt to bring the diverse flavours of India to users’ doorstep, Zomato launched the 'Intercity Legends' feature. This initiative allowed users to order iconic dishes from different cities across the country, connecting food enthusiasts with renowned local cuisines without leaving their homes. The service aimed to satisfy a growing appetite for unique food experiences and explore regional delicacies from places like Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Despite its initial success, 'Intercity Legends' faced challenges in finding a sustainable market fit. After a period of operation, the service was suspended in April and briefly relaunched with a revised model focusing on pre-stocked items. Unfortunately, Zomato decided to shut it down entirely recently due to lack of demand and operational hurdles. In a candid update, CEO <keyword id="19901325" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="deepinder-goyal" source="keywords">Deepinder Goyal</keyword> acknowledged the closure, stating, "After two years of trying, not finding product market fit, we have decided to shut down the service with immediate effect." This move came just a day after Zomato announced its entry into the entertainment ticketing sector with the acquisition of <keyword id="19898109" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paytm" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Paytm" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Paytm">Paytm</keyword>'s movie and events ticketing business for Rs 2,034 crore. <h2>2. Hyperpure: Playing a more important role</h2> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/zomato-earned-rs-83-crore-from-platform-fee-what-it-is-how-it-benefits-the-company-and-how-it-affects-you/articleshow/112313589.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Zomato’s</a> foray into the B2B space with Hyperpure marked a significant shift from being just a food delivery platform to becoming a vital player in the food supply chain. Launched in 2019, Hyperpure aims to provide restaurants with fresh, high-quality ingredients, ensuring a seamless supply chain from farm to table. Hyperpure stands out for its commitment to quality assurance, working directly with farmers and producers to source ingredients free from contaminants. The initiative operates through a network of warehouses and logistics centres, allowing Zomato to maintain control over the entire supply chain. Additionally, Hyperpure emphasises sustainability by promoting eco-friendly packaging and encouraging sustainable farming practices. Leveraging its technological prowess, Zomato employs data analytics and AI to optimise inventory and predict demand, reducing wastage and ensuring timely deliveries. Starting in Bengaluru, Hyperpure has expanded to multiple cities, helping restaurants improve their food quality and operational efficiency. <h2>3. <keyword id="20069203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blinkit" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Blinkit" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Blinkit">Blinkit</keyword> acquisition: Expanding into quick commerce</h2> In a strategic move to diversify its offerings, Zomato acquired Blinkit (formerly Grofers) in 2022. Blinkit, a startup known for its 10-minute grocery delivery service, allowed Zomato to enter the burgeoning quick commerce market. The acquisition was part of Zomato’s broader strategy to expand beyond food delivery and capture a significant share of the grocery and convenience sector. Today, Blinkit has evolved from a grocery app into a comprehensive platform offering everything from electronics and stationery to skincare products. This acquisition has proven to be a valuable asset, aligning with Zomato’s vision of providing a one-stop solution for various consumer needs. <h2>4. Food delivery via drones: Aiming for the skies</h2> One of Zomato’s most ambitious experiments involved drone delivery. In 2018, the company acquired the Lucknow-based aerospace company TechEagle to advance its drone delivery capabilities. CEO Deepinder Goyal had said at the time that drones are essential to reducing delivery times from 30.5 minutes to 15 minutes, as road transport is inefficient for fast delivery. Then in 2019, the company made headlines for successfully testing a hybrid drone that carried a 5 kg payload over a distance of 5 km in just 10 minutes. During the test, the drone reached a top speed of 80 km/h. The delivery was a non-commercial trial. However, in 2020, Zomato parted ways with TechEagle and reports said that the separation was amicable. During the same year, Zomato also received permission from the DGCA to begin testing drone delivery but not much has happened on that front. <h2>5. Infinity dining: Unlimited food and drinks</h2> The Infinity Dining feature was another bold experiment by Zomato designed to enhance dining experiences for its Gold members. Launched in three cities, this feature offered unlimited food and drinks at select partner restaurants for a fixed price. The initiative aimed to encourage more people to dine out and enjoy a unique value-driven experience. However, the feature faced backlash from partner restaurants, which protested against the deep discounts and operational issues it created. In response to the feedback, Zomato decided to pause Infinity Dining in 2019. A company spokesperson mentioned at the time, "We received a range of feedback about Infinity Dining, and have paused it as we would incorporate the feedback." Zomato’s journey shows its willingness to embrace experimentation and innovation. From intercity food deliveries to trying to play a role in restaurant supply chains and more, the company has continually sought to push the boundaries of what’s possible. While not every experiment has been successful, Zomato’s pursuit of new ideas and solutions shows its commitment to shaping the future of food and dining.

Scheduled food orders to using drones: Zomato experiments that made headlines

<ul><li><keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> has introduced the ‘infinity dining’ feature for its gold members. </li><li>With this new feature, users can opt for unlimited food and drinks at diners, where the packages will be selected by the restaurants.</li><li><keyword id="4299597" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato-Gold">Zomato Gold</keyword> has over 1.25 million subscribers.</li></ul>Riding on the success of Zomato Gold, the Indian foodtech unicorn now has a new plan for ‘infinity dining’. Giving consumers the chance to “eat and drink all they can”, Zomato has introduced the infinity dining feature through which Zomato Gold members while booking a table at a restaurant can also view packages for unlimited buffet. The new feature will be available in 350 restaurants across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. “Dining out constitutes about 70% of a restaurant’s total business. While Zomato Gold continues to be instrumental in driving sales for restaurants and adding value to subscribers, we realise that the opportunities in this sphere are endless – welcome, Infinity Dining. It is a global first, as India becomes the first country to offer such a choice, at scale,” said Gaurav Gupta, COO &amp; Co-founder, Zomato. The <keyword id="7913404" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="zomato-gold-membership">Zomato Gold membership</keyword> plan from the company had gained popularity for its 1+1 on food and 2+2 on drinks offers. According to the company, Zomato Gold has grown almost 100% in the past eight months and now has over 1.25 million subscribers across nine countries – India, UAE, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Lebanon, Turkey, Philippines and Indonesia.

Zomato has a new plan for unlimited food and drinks in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru

<ul><li><keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> has launched a video section on its platform, which will have 18 original shows. </li><li>Starting Monday, the platform is going to offer viewers and foodies original shows, recipes and more with over 2,000 videos.</li><li>This makes the <keyword id="2955508" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-aggregator">food aggregator</keyword> unicorn the latest one to join the Indian OTT race. </li></ul>Zomato knows you order food from the app while binge-watching stuff on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar etc. But the food aggregator doesn’t want you to leave its app. So it has launched its own video platform and original shows. Through the video section on the Zomato app, the platform is going to offer original shows, recipes, and more with over 2,000 videos. It's launching 18 original shows, each of which will have episodes ranging between 3 to 15 minutes. The shows have been shot on a vertical frame making way for mobile-easy viewing. These videos will range between comedy, reality, fiction, advice, celebrity interviews and will explore food in unique, engaging and entertaining videos, Zomato said in a statement. The released trailer shows content from star Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, comedians like Sumukhi Suresh and Sahil Shah and a cooking show with Bollywood stars which will be hosted by Janice Sequiera. The Indian OTT space has been buzzing with new entrants and mergers. Recently, e-commerce giant Flipkart announced its entry into the video content war, which in India is currently led by the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hotstar. Smaller players like AltBalaji and Zee5 had announced a partnership to produce content together. Meanwhile, Zomato’s entry into the video space comes at a time when its food vertical has been in the eye of multiple controversies thanks to its discounting features like Zomato Gold and Infinity Dining.The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) launched a ‘logout’ movement last week claiming that the business practices of aggregators are unethical. Now, Zomato has put a ‘pause’ on its infinity dining feature.

Zomato launches its own video platform with original shows

<ul><li><keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> has announced a 225% jump in revenue to touch $205 million in the first half of FY2020. </li><li>Its monthly burn rate is down to 60% from what it was 6 months ago. </li><li>Its active gold members have also gone up by 180%.</li></ul>Zomato said that its revenue for the first half of the year jumped by 225% to $205 million. The food aggregator said that it cut its losses as its monthly burn rate is down to 60% from what it was 6 months ago. Zomato has also said that its orders have gone up by 290% as compared to first half of FY19. Its customers are placing over three million orders in a month. “Our order volumes in top 15 cities have doubled in the last 12 months; while the remaining cities already contribute 35% to our order volumes,” said the company in a statement. Its active gold members have also gone up by 180%. Interestingly, Zomato’s monthly active restaurants have gone up by 177% in H1 FY2020, as compared to H1 FY2019. The number of restaurant listings globally on Zomato also grew from 1.2 million in September 2018 to 1.5 million in September 2019. This is in spite of Zomato being at the centre of a massive logout event in the last few months. Zomato was caught in the throes of a very public controversy thanks to its deep discounting programmes like Zomato Gold and infinity dining. Some of its offer provide consumers with offers like 1+1 on food and 2+2 on drinks. The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) launched a ‘logout’ movement last month claiming that the business practices of aggregators are unethical. Hundreds of restaurants delisting from the app, as a part of the movement. “At the start of the ‘logout’ campaign, we had over 6,100 restaurants in India on Zomato Gold (for Dining Out); as of today, we have over 6,300 restaurants in India on Gold (for Dining Out),” said the company.

Zomato’s revenue jumps by 225% and number of gold restaurants grew even during the logout movement

<ul><li>Big Indian startups have been in the public eye for many controversies thanks to the concerns raised by various <keyword id="946463" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="industry-bodies">industry bodies</keyword>. </li><li>From ban on sales to stopping discounts, industry bodies have picked a fight against startups. </li><li><keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword>, Oyo, Flipkart and Amazon have all been affected by the same. </li></ul>Indian startups have a growing problem at home – industry bodies from different sectors are now up in arms against discounts and deals. From Zomato and Oyo to Flipkart and even the global retail giant Amazon is caught in a fight. Here’s a look at all that’s gone down between industry bodies and startups in just the last month. Restaurants vs online aggregators All seemed to be going well between Indian restaurateurs and online aggregators until last month. The National Restaurant Association of India, which has over 500,000 outlets as members, woke up to the many deals presented by the likes of Zomato, <keyword id="6358977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="swiggy">Swiggy</keyword>, EazyDiner, Dineout etc., and said that the excessive discounts offered by the delivery apps are throttling their businesses. Zomato bore the brunt of the restaurants’ ire – from the logout movement to social media uproar from hoteliers It had also faced protests from its delivery executives, who were not happy with the pay cuts from the aggregator. The foodtech unicorn paused on its Infinity Dining feature and curtailed the Zomato Gold program but the restaurants remain animus towards the firm. Despite many attempts to thaw in the frosty relationship there is no resolution yet for Zomato and Swiggy. Hotel associations against Oyo Oyo Hotels &amp; Homes in the past few years has grown at a rapid pace to have its signboard up in every big city, and many small towns-- adding up to 270,000 rooms across the country. But in its fast acquisition of buildings and hotels, some traditional hoteliers have raised concerns about ‘illegal practices’. Oyo is battling legal complaints from a Bengaluru-based hotelier accusing Ritesh Agarwal, the founder, of cheating and breach of trust. A month ago, hoteliers too began boycotting Oyo but the Delhi High Court ruled the case in favour of the $5 billion startup. The good ol’ e-commerce fight Indian e-commerce has long been in the eye of public dissent from industry bodies. The likes of Flipkart and Amazon were the first to be hit because of their deep discounting which allows them to acquire customers faster. With the festive season around the corner, Flipkart and Amazon both have massive sales coming up. Flipkart is in fact getting ready with its annual sale – The Big Billion Day Sale. However, now the Confederation of All India Traders is demanding a <a href="https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/e-commerce/e-tailing/ahead-of-diwali-sale-cait-says-ecomm-giants-flouting-rules/71167595">ban </a>on these sales. The CAIT is an industry body for over 7 crore traders. The body has alleged that the two e-commerce giants are violating the Foreign Direct Investment rules with their massive ad campaigns. It has also written to Union Minister Piyush Goyal regarding the same.

India’s biggest startups are faced with growing resistance from industry bodies

<ul><li><keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> and <keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">Oyo</keyword> have both been in the eye of many public controversies, stirred by industry bodies.</li><li>While Zomato has been in the middle of a <keyword id="7998183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="logout-movement">logout movement</keyword> from restaurants, Oyo has been dealing with legal complaints against its founder for breach of trust. </li><li>This has affected the public branding and image of the companies.</li></ul><keyword id="476451" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deepinder-Goyal">Deepinder Goyal</keyword> and <keyword id="1670338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</keyword> maybe poster boys of the Indian startup industry. But,the founders of Zomato and Oyo are dealing with complaints from industry bodies, associations and even backlash from their own employees. Startups which have started to solve existing problems, are now facing their own. The problems surrounding Zomato and Oyo Zomato was caught in the throes of a very public controversy thanks to its deep discounting programmes like Zomato Gold (where consumers can avail 1+1 on food and 2+2 on drinks) and infinity dining. The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) launched a ‘logout’ movement last month claiming that the business practices of aggregators are unethical. The movement saw hundreds of restaurants delisting from the app. But that’s not the end of it. Zomato’s delivery executives across Mumbai and Bengaluru are protesting for pay cuts. The company is also in the news for reportedly laying off employees at its Gurgaon headquarters. Oyo is in no better position. On one hand, it is battling legal complaints from a Bengaluru-based hotelier accusing Agarwal of cheating and breach of trust. A month ago, hoteliers too had begun boycotting Oyo, but the Delhi High Court had ruled the case in the company’s favour. To tackle these issues, Zomato reportedly held several meetings with the NRAI. It also backtracked by cutting off discounts from its Zomato Gold programme. It has also put its recently launched Infinity Dining programme on a ‘pause’ mode. Oyo, on the other hand, has refuted all claims against its founder and has been unfazed through its expansion journey globally. The branding has taken a hit Startups and their success is important not just because of their disruptive nature, but their popularity has made them almost invincible with a ‘can-do’ attitude. These issues have come to prove that it is not the case. And, it has started to show. This is evident in its survey rankings. YouGov measures a brand by the buzz it generates in two weeks. Zomato’s Buzz fell by 6.8 points, from 42.7 in the beginning of July, to 35.9 in August end. “Zomato’s Brand Index score which is an average of quality, value, impression, reputation, satisfaction and recommend scores, has also fallen from 38.5 on 31st July to 34.9 on 31st August 2019, the time period marked by the two controversies,” said YouGov. This is a big blow for Zomato which is known for its witty, quirky marketing campaigns on and off-line that has caught the fancy of millennials. The company however said that its own internal tracking system shows no significant dip in perception in the last 3 months. "On the contrary, metrics such as trust, brand love, innovation, etc. have shown consistent upswing. These metrics are tracked diligently on a daily/weekly/monthly basis and none of the external noise has impacted our core consumer perception in a negative manner. In fact, we have noted a spike in the user engagement with an increase in average time spent on the app, session counts, weekly downloads, etc. These results from continuous monitoring have reaffirmed our current approach towards consumer engagement and product innovation,” said a Zomato spokesperson. Brand expert Harish Bijoor believes that Zomato and Oyo both need to be worried. “We live in the era of nano-second social media hurt. Every social media comment that is hurtful to the brand is a scar. Too many scars, and the brand can get into a negative tizzy. Brands need to be careful, and more importantly quick in their reactions to issues. Both Zomato and Oyo have been through this. As of now, the brand image has not been hurt. it has been jolted, but not damaged,” said Bijoor.

It's a stormy time for two of India's biggest startup brands

<ul><li>Zomato’s CEO <keyword id="476451" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deepinder-Goyal">Deepinder Goyal</keyword> took to Twitter said this is a ‘wake up call’ for them and asked restaurant owners to stop the logout campaign.</li><li>Goyal asked restaurant owners to look at ways to reduce operating costs. </li><li>This angered restaurateurs on Twitter who mocked Goyal for his lack of understanding.</li></ul>Food aggregators in India who offer massive discounts on their platforms to lure customers are facing a problem. The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) launched the ‘logout’ movement last week claiming that the business practices of aggregators are unethical. A leading foodtech aggregator Zomato’s CEO Deepinder Goyal took to Twitter to address the issue, saying this is a “wake up call” for them to make things better with their restaurant partners, and asked them to stop the logout campaign. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="deepigoyal" handlename="Deepinder Goyal" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/980757579360972800/TWg-KSki_normal.jpg" favoritecount="913" retweetcount="166" status="Our thoughts on the restaurant industry’s stand against deep discounting – 1 - Zomato Gold has been a major hit,… https://t.co/yML7yJBgAg" createdat="1566053417000" id="1162738425729916929"></div>



 At the root of the problem lies the company’s hit offering – <keyword id="4299597" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato-Gold">Zomato Gold</keyword>, which offers consumers avail of 1+1 on food and 2+2 on drinks. Zomato also launched the infinity dining feature, where users for a fixed cost can order everything off the menu. However, Goyal himself admitted that “bargain hunters have also joined Zomato Gold and they are hurting some segments of the restaurant industry very badly.” He also promised to modify Zomato Gold which will result in a win-win situation. But he also asked restaurateurs to do their part. He wrote, “I would also want to urge the restaurant industry to proactively look at ways to reduce operating costs, so that eating out becomes more affordable for consumers - our only objective here is to drive the growth of the restaurant industry.” His statement led to multiple restaurant owners ridicule him for not understanding the costs involved in running a restaurant. Most restaurant owners pointed out that it’s the massive discounts offered by food aggregators that is hurting the consumers. Noted restaurateur Riyaaz Amlani mocked the entrepreneur and wrote, “Visionary idea as usual! Maybe we can fire restaurant workers? Or put a gun on our landlord heads to reduce rent? Or buy inferior ingredients so that we can reduce costs, and offer lower prices to accommodate your vision. Why didn’t I think of this before?”

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Scheduled food orders to using drones: Zomato experiments that made headlines

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Zomato has a new plan for unlimited food and drinks in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru

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Zomato launches its own video platform with original shows

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Zomato’s revenue jumps by 225% and number of gold restaurants grew even during the logout movement

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India’s biggest startups are faced with growing resistance from industry bodies

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It's a stormy time for two of India's biggest startup brands

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Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal responds to the ‘logout’ movement – restaurant owners mock him on Twitter

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