The use of food delivery services in India has steadily increased over the last decade, fueled by the growth in technology adoption and the desire for convenience. With rapid digitisation, food delivery services have become a staple in the daily lives of many Indians. The Indian food delivery industry is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.7% and reach $81.9 billion by 2028.
Zomato and Swiggy are two of the largest food delivery companies, based in India, that have changed the way we order food. Both companies seem to have endless budgets for marketing and employ everything you can think of from search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing to influencer marketing, and even meme marketing.
In this post, we look at the digital marketing strategies of Zomato and Swiggy, with a deep dive into their SEO efforts that made them the top brands in the food delivery services market.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary: Zomato and Swiggy in a Nutshell
Target Audience Profile
Digital Marketing Strategies: Zomato
Online Marketing Strategies: Zomato
Social Media Marketing: Zomato
Meme Promotion: Zomato
Outdoor and Print Advertising
Digital Marketing Strategies: Swiggy
Search Engine Optimization: Swiggy
Marketing through Social Influencers
Social Media Marketing: Swiggy
Email Communication: Swiggy
Zomato and Swiggy: Contrast Study
General Conclusion
Answering Common Questions
1. Overview of Zomato and Swiggy
Zomato:
Deepinder Goyal started Zomato as FoodieBay and rebranded it in 2010. Zomato began as a restaurant guide providing information and reviews to its clients. It expanded towards food delivery, adding new restaurants and outlets. Today it uses memes, witty commentary, and creative billboards to further establish its brand in the market and is one of the most recognizable brands in the country.
Swiggy:
Notable for its emphasis on user experience and rapid food delivery, Swiggy became one of the fastest growing apps after its inception in 2014 thanks to Nandan Reddy, Sriharsha Majety, and Rahul Jaimini. Swiggy uses engaging posts on other social media platforms, partners with local restaurants and influencers to expand their reach while maintaining a fun and witty social presence.
2. Target Audience Profile
Zomato and Swiggy find their primary target in urban workers and students, as well as families ordering food within the 18 to 35 age bracket, making them the leading service providers in the meal delivery sector.
Zomato targets both, food lovers who like eating at restaurants as well as those who prefer ordering food at home as it offers them more variety and convenience.
Swiggy’s primary targets are busy professionals and families, and the brand promise is quick and convenient delivery.
3. Zomato Digital Marketing Strategy
SEO Marketing
Zomato is one of the top companies performing SEO as they have more than 2.2 million organic keywords and a restaurant listing directory which does well for geo-targeted searches. By aggressively bidding on long-tail keywords such as “cafes near me” or “best restaurants near me,” Zomato is able to rank highly on SERPs.
Social Media Strategies
Zomato is also present with a very active and lively community on social networks like Facebook and zomato instagram followers has 1.1 million and 1.9 million followers respectively. Their approach is anchored on the use of memes and trends together with easily shareable content that appeals to the youth.
Meme Marketing
Zomato has led the meme marketing industry by being the first to catch on viral trends with relatable post designs. From trendie memes to well-placed posts for special days, Zomato always knows what jokes will land and remain engaging to the audience.
Outdoor and Visual Advertising
Zomato’s superb creativity extends to outdoor advertising which is dominated by their billboards that are very funny and relatable. They bring great illustrations with relevant and current events to really make people laugh and remember them.
4. Digital Marketing Strategies Employed by Swiggy
SEO Marketing
Using Swiggy’s SEO strategy, the focus remains on attaining organic traffic via keyword use. Keyword phrases like “online food delivery” and “restaurants near me” are popularly searched in the region helping Swiggy secure over 18 million visitors to their website. To maximize conversions, their site is optimized for user experience.
Influencer Marketing
Swiggy’s brand visibility is improved using influencer partnerships which helps reach a bigger audience. Collaborations with well-known influencers such as Yuvraj Dua have boosted user engagement due to the hype.
Social Media Strategies
Swiggy having over 649k followers on Instagram and 997k on Facebook depicts how effective their relatable and fun social media strategy is. Troll and meme marketing together with influencer marketing makes Swiggy’s social media presence a hallmark to their success.
Email Marketing
Swiggy executes their email marketing campaigns with high levels of personalization. Their use of customer data helps them tailor emails to engage users and drive sales. To gain excitement for popular events Swiggy offers discounts on cricket match days as part of the ‘Match Day Mania’ campaign.
5. Zomato vs. Swiggy: A Comparative Analysis
App Functionality
Both applications are user-friendly, but Swiggy takes the lead in ease of use. Swiggy user’s has their service’s automatic location fetching system, while Zomato’s requires turning location services on. Zomato does have more wide area served though, which counts for something.
Marketing strategy
Zomato has a strong presence due to creative social media strategies, meme marketing, and SEO.
Zomato is very relatable to a wide audience due to its focus on influencer marketing, timely promotions, and the utilization of local culture.
Payment Process
Unlike Zomato, Swiggy does not restrict its users to one payment option; however, Zomato does provide a more pleasant experience of faster payments including saved preferences.
Delivery Speed
Zomato’s irregular delivery timing often keeps users on their toes as it varies, unlike Swiggy whose delivery speed tends to be a touch better.
6. Conclusion
In both Zomato and Swiggy’s cases, their impact in the Indian digital marketing industry needs no introduction. The loyal following Zomato receives is largely contributed by their SEO efforts, memes on social media, as well as their outdoor advertising. On the contrary, Swiggy’s strong influencer email marketing coupled with an easily navigable fast app has won him many customers.
To replicate the triumph of these brands, businesses require a comprehensive digital marketing approach that combines analysis and creativity. ACT Digital has extensive experience in formulating personalized action plans targeted towards increasing engagement and visibility.
Here is where we deal with some common questions.
Q1: In your opinion, what are some of the key strategies that helped Zomato become so successful?
Zomato owes their success to the effective SEO approach, meme marketing, as well as captivating social media marketing directed towards younger audiences.
Q2: How does Swiggy stand out in the competitive food delivery space?
Apart from Zomato, Swiggy also stands out through influencer marketing, captivating email marketing, and an efficient app focused on the customer’s ease of use and speed.
Q3: Am I able to deploy these methods within my company?
Absolutely! ACT Digital specializes in creating individual marketing strategies for companies regardless of their size. If you want to grow your business, get in touch with us today.