Marketing – Zomato vs Swiggy

Over the last decade, India has seen a rise in the growth of the food delivery market. With the convenience of ordering food at the touch of a button, more and more people are turning to online platforms for their meals. This surge in demand has led to an exponential growth in the market. In fact, the online food delivery market in India is projected to reach a staggering $81.9 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.7% from 2023 to 2028.

Two major players driving this growth are Zomato and Swiggy. These companies have revolutionised the way Indians order food, becoming household names in the process.

In this blog, we will explore their digital marketing strategy, SEO marketing tactics and the factors that have helped them become the leading brands in India’s food delivery industry. So let’s find out how these two giants grew so big and what makes them stand out.

Table of contents

1. Overview of Brands
2. Target Audience Analysis
3. Marketing Strategy of Zomato
4. Marketing Strategy of Swiggy
5. Zomato V/S Swiggy Results
6. In Conclusion
7. Frequently Asked Questions

Overview of Brands

Zomato

Zomato was initially founded under the name FoodieBay, by Deepindar Goyal. They rebranded themselves as Zomato in 2010 to increase brand awareness. At first, Zomato was just a website giving you information about new restaurants near you and reviews. Later, they expanded themselves into the online delivery segment.

Zomato has definitely become one of the most talked about brands, be it because of its hilarious outdoor billboards or its twist to meme marketing. All the visibility that Zomato is getting is because of its excellent marketing strategy. From billboards to your mobile screens, they know how to grab their audience’s attention well! Let us break down their various marketing strategies.

Swiggy

Swiggy was founded in 2014 by Nandan Reddy, Sriharsha Majety and Rahul Jaimini and received USD 2 Million in funding from Accel Partners and SAIF Partners.

Swiggy’s marketing plan focuses on building its brand and getting the word out about its meal delivery services. To boost their visibility even further, Swiggy has partnered with celebrities and influencers, creating a buzz and generating more interest in what they offer.

Target Audience Analysis

Zomato and Swiggy both target the 18-35 age group, who are tech-savvy and active on digital platforms. Zomato appeals to both dine-out enthusiasts and those who prefer delivery, focusing on variety and convenience through social media campaigns. Swiggy, on the other hand, caters to college students, working professionals and families who rely on food delivery, emphasising speed and ease. While Zomato balances its approach between dining out and delivery, Swiggy concentrates on quick service for those seeking hassle-free meals. Both brands also consider their restaurant partners as vital in expanding their reach and service efficiency.

Marketing Strategy of Zomato

SEO Marketing Strategy

Zomato’s SEO marketing strategy is quite impressive. According to Uberrush, Zomato is ranking on 2.1M keywords, that too organically! which gives them a significant edge in search results. By targeting and naturally incorporating a vast array of keywords, Zomato consistently secures top positions in search engine results. Their extensive restaurant directory plays a crucial role, with keywords related to restaurant names, food and locations boosting their SEO. Long-tail keywords like “cafes near me” and “restaurants near me” are particularly beneficial.

Linking to specific URLs associated with these target keywords is a common SEO tactic. Zomato is currently backlinking on 17.8M Sites. It helps search engines understand the content of Zomato’s pages and deliver relevant results to users. This approach also improves the site’s overall organic search traffic which currently is 47.8M, according to SEMrush.

As a digital marketing agency in Mumbai that excels at SEO, we recognise how Zomato’s SEO strategy exemplifies effective SEO marketing.

Social Media Marketing Strategies

Zomato’s social media marketing strategy is both vibrant and effective. As of July 2024, Zomato has 994k followers on Instagram and 1.9 million on Facebook.

Their target audience is typically aged between 18 and 35. Their social media drives them to stay highly active and engaging on these platforms. Zomato excels by creating original content and tapping into trending topics and memes, which resonate well with their audience. Their posts are designed to spark conversations, encourage shares and keep people coming back for more.

As a Social media marketing agency, we see how Zomato’s approach highlights the importance of a well-crafted digital marketing strategy. Their ability to blend trending content with audience engagement is a perfect example of how effective social media marketing can be.

Meme Marketing Strategy

One marketing strategy that Zomato is nailing is Meme marketing. Zomato is very up-to-date and fast to react when it comes to meme trends for example, Zomato had its unique take on the trend ‘Thala for a reason’. Where they related the 7 letter trend with the word ‘cricket’.

Or when Zomato had a funny yet relatable way of wishing Mother’s Day!

Staying at the top of the trends and sharing them in their unique way is the best way to connect to your younger audience. If you also want to stay relevant in meme marketing, you can start by consulting a meme marketing agency!

Outdoor marketing

Zomato’s visual advertising is just as captivating as their other marketing strategies. As they gained popularity, they’ve crafted some truly standout visual ads. Whether it’s eye-catching billboards or engaging video adverts, Zomato consistently comes up with creative content ideas that grab attention and perform well. Their approach makes sure that every piece of visual advertising is not just seen but remembered. One standout example is the recent ‘Kheer mangoge, kheer denge’ billboard that captured everyone’s attention. Its humorous and relatable message, combined with a clever collaboration with Blinkit, made it a hit. This ad perfectly showcases how Zomato’s visual advertising strategy combines creativity with current trends to make a lasting impression.

Zomato’s diverse marketing strategies illustrate how a blend of SEO, social media, meme marketing and visual advertising can drive exceptional brand visibility and engagement. Their ability to adapt and innovate in each of these areas sets them apart as a leader in the digital marketing landscape.

Push Notification – Their Stand out activity

The differentiating factor of the Zomato push notification marketing is that it goes beyond the usual discount-based communication more prevalent with food tech and e-commerce companies. Recognising this, repetitive offers can lead to disengagement; Zomato uses customer data for crafting personalized and relevant notifications.

For example, while Swiggy may say, “Never tried ramen, Barkha? Life’s too short not to! Use code TRYNEW for a special discount,” Zomato chooses to be a little more interesting: “Grrr. Grr.Grr.Grr. It’s probably your stomach making noises. Order something?” It is an approach that brings out how Zomato has mastered the act of coming up with hook-like, context-driven content that works at a subliminal level in resonating with people, setting a certain benchmark that others in the industry are currently attempting to match up to.

Marketing Strategy of Swiggy

SEO Marketing Strategy

Swiggy has made significant strides in improving its SEO and the results are impressive. Their website traffic stands at 18.3M, which is purely organic traffic. Swiggy’s home page is well-optimised, featuring a meta title that includes key phrases like “online food delivery” and “restaurants near you.” Their meta description highlights the major cities they serve and their popular restaurant partners, making it appealing and informative.

Swiggy also maintains a strong backlink profile. They are currently backlinking on 558.7k sites. They redirect traffic from non-preferred domains to their preferred domain, ensuring a seamless user experience. As a leading digital marketing agency, we recognise how Swiggy’s approach sets a benchmark for effective SEO. If you’re looking for similar success, our SEO company can help you get there.

E-mail Marketing Strategy

Swiggy’s email marketing engages the user base by sending personalized and timely content. This is achieved through the creation of relevant emails, based on user preferences and order history and demographics, thereby increasing engagement.

For example, their “Match Day Mania” campaign, has catchy visuals and offers such as “Ready for some CRICK-EATING action?” with a flat ₹150 off, encouraging interaction during popular events. By embedding targeted promotions and creative subject lines, Swiggy not only drives in click-through rates but also enhances customer retention with exclusive deals and rewards. This approach helps their campaigns to remain compelling in a highly competitive market.

Social Media Marketing Strategy

Swiggy has 513k Instagram followers and 998k Facebook fans, July 2024.

Swiggy stands out from its rivals thanks to its innovative social media marketing techniques. Two strategies of Swiggy’s marketing tactic that work very well are Meme marketing and Influencer marketing.

Meme marketing of Swiggy

Memes have become a popular part of digital marketing strategy. And Swiggy has adopted this trend quite well. For example swiggy’s most popular meme series on the recent T20 World Cup. Where a delivery guy from Swiggy is knocking on the door of different teams resulting in them losing. This meme series gained popularity very quickly and was a very successful campaign by Swiggy.

Influencer Marketing

Swiggy is great at influencer marketing, teaming up with popular personalities to spread the word about their services. Recently, Swiggy partnered with the famous comedy influencer Yuvraj Dua. These collaborations help Swiggy reach a wide audience. For example, their post with well-known influencer Yuvraj Dua on the trending IPL topic gained a lot of attention.

Swiggy’s innovative marketing strategies, from SEO to social media, demonstrate their ability to connect with a wide audience and drive engagement.

Zomato V/S Swiggy Results

When it comes to food delivery in India, Zomato and Swiggy are the undisputed leaders. Both companies have carved out significant market share and have distinct features that cater to their vast user bases. Let’s delve into a comparison of their marketing strategies, app functionality and overall user experience to see how they stack up against each other.

Welcome Screen and App Functionality

Swiggy makes it simple to place an order without requiring you to activate location tracking. If you haven’t selected a location, the app will continue to alert you using the device’s location-tracking feature. Once enabled, Swiggy automatically determines your location, making the overall design and functionality quite user-friendly. On the other hand, Zomato requires the device location tracker to be turned on. However, Zomato’s advantage lies in its wider service area, covering more cities and towns. When you turn on Zomato, it efficiently determines your location, but the initial requirement can be a bit of a hassle.

Marketing Strategies

When it comes to marketing, both companies have their unique approaches. Zomato devotes a lot of time and energy to SEO, ensuring they rank high for popular keywords. Their SEO marketing strategy, backed by creative content, keeps them at the forefront of search results. Zomato’s social media marketing is also top-notch, often using humour, fashion and current events to engage its audience. As a leading social media marketing agency would advise, Zomato’s use of trending topics and creative posts ensures constant user engagement.

Swiggy, on the other hand, focuses its marketing strategy on tapping into the hunger and cravings of individuals. Their tagline, “Craving Something?” is evergreen and resonates well with users. Swiggy also leverages influencer marketing, partnering with popular personalities to create a buzz around their services. Collaborations with celebrities and influencers help Swiggy reach a wider audience, enhancing their brand visibility.

Marketing Strategies

Offers and deals play a crucial role in attracting and retaining customers. While talking to people around us we found that Zomato has been quite successful in this area, consistently providing more cashback offers than Swiggy. This strategy has proven effective in drawing new customers and keeping existing ones loyal.

Payment Process

Swiggy offers several payment options while placing an order, but even if you have your Paytm number set up, there’s still an additional step involved. Zomato’s payment process is more straightforward and remembers your most recent payment option. If you’ve previously used Google Pay or COD, Zomato makes future payments quicker and more convenient. This streamlined process can be a significant time-saver for regular users.

Delivery Speed

In terms of delivery speed, Swiggy generally has the edge according to people. While talking with people around us we found out that Swiggy app’s timings are often accurate and food is frequently delivered on time, barring severe weather conditions. Zomato, on the other hand, can sometimes display erratic timings, making it difficult to track the delivery man’s progress on the map. Consistency in delivery speed is a critical factor and Swiggy seems to perform better in this area.

In Conclusion

Zomato and Swiggy are leading the charge with innovative marketing strategies. Zomato stands out with its impressive SEO tactics, engaging social media presence and savvy use of meme marketing, keeping its brand at the forefront of online conversations. Swiggy, in contrast, focuses on influencer marketing and a memorable tagline, “Craving Something?”, to connect with a broad audience.

Both brands show how tailored marketing strategies can drive growth and brand loyalty in a competitive landscape. For those looking to enhance their own marketing efforts, our digital marketing company is here to help. Contact Flora Fountain at hello@florafountain.com and let us assist you in crafting a strategy that meets your business goals and engages your target audience effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

Vasim Samadji

Vasim Samadji is a partner at Flora Fountain, where he leads the Business and Marketing Strategy divisions. In a world where everyone is used to sugarcoating, his directness is often considered rude. But that shouldn't be a problem if you like the no-nonsense approach. Because he is a seasoned professional...