Zomato has unveiled its new Order Scheduling feature, enabling customers to plan food deliveries from two hours to two days in advance across 30 major Indian cities. This strategic move positions the foodtech giant in direct competition with Swiggy’s similar service, Swiggy Scheduled, which has been operational since 2018.
The feature, now available at more than 35,000 restaurants across key metropolitan areas including Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Raipur, and Ahmedabad, represents a significant expansion of Zomato’s service offerings. This launch comes as part of the company’s broader strategy to enhance customer experience and optimize restaurant operations.
The timing of this rollout is particularly noteworthy, as it follows Zomato’s recent platform fee hike to ₹10 and coincides with the company’s plans to raise ₹8,500 crore through a qualified institutional placement (QIP).
The Order Scheduling feature introduces several key functionalities designed to benefit both customers and restaurant partners. Users can access the service through the ‘Schedule’ option in the Delivery tab, with the platform offering alternative time slots if their preferred delivery window is unavailable. A flexible cancellation policy allows users to modify their orders up to three hours before the scheduled delivery time.
For restaurant partners, the new feature presents significant operational advantages. It helps them optimize capacity during slower periods and maintain better inventory management. Zomato has implemented specific safeguards to ensure reliability, selecting only restaurants with strong track records for on-time preparation and high availability for participation in this service.
The implementation spans multiple dimensions of the food delivery ecosystem:
- Coverage across 30 cities with 35,000+ participating restaurants
- Scheduling window ranging from 2 hours to 48 hours in advance
- Integration with existing restaurant operations requiring no additional training
- Proactive notifications system for restaurants to prepare orders
- Quality control through selective restaurant participation
This development signals a maturing food delivery market in India, where players are focusing on service differentiation beyond basic delivery. The feature launches amid intensifying competition in the quick commerce space, where Zomato’s Blinkit competes with Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and other major players.
The introduction of scheduled ordering could have far-reaching implications for India’s startup ecosystem. It demonstrates how established players are leveraging technology to create new service layers while addressing operational inefficiencies. This move could encourage other startups to focus on similar convenience-enhancing features that balance customer needs with business operations.
The feature’s launch also coincides with significant movements in the foodtech sector, including Swiggy’s upcoming IPO plans to raise ₹3,750 crore and Zomato’s own fundraising initiatives. These developments collectively indicate a phase of strategic positioning among major players in India’s food delivery market.
The successful implementation of the Order Scheduling feature could serve as a blueprint for other startups looking to enhance their service offerings while maintaining operational efficiency. As the Indian startup ecosystem continues to evolve, such innovations that balance customer convenience with business sustainability will likely become increasingly important differentiators in the market.
