Peak demand hits differently in the food delivery industry, with customers wanting to eat at the same time. In a controversial post on social media X, one of India’s popular delivery platforms, Zomato, urged customers to refrain from ordering “unless absolutely necessary.”
The post had been viewed over two million times and led to mixed reactions from the public.
This message has sparked outrage, with many questioning why Zomato cannot navigate the influx of demand. Contrary to this sentiment, some believe it’s a “marketing stunt” to get more reaction. However, some have vowed to delete the platform due to poor service.
Zomato has yet to respond to any of the comments.
Juggling demand and supply
Striking the balance between demand and supply can be a major headache. While having too many orders may sound like business is booming, they can harm the brand if there is not enough capacity to handle them.
Increased waiting periods lead to disgruntled customers. However, contrary to this, having too many delivery partners and fewer orders can also lead to a loss of income for drivers.
Route optimization technology plays a vital role in helping manage peak demand, says Hubble. Delivery drivers can use technology to find the best routes and minimize trips on the road.
Increasing capacity
Just last month, Zomato announced that it could now handle larger orders. This is to cater for parties or events where the food delivery order exceeds the regular delivery space’s capacity.
They found it appropriate to use an electric fleet explicitly designed for up to 50 people gatherings. But were they biting off more than they could chew?
In the past, Zomato used fleet delivery partners to fulfill customers’ needs. However, this meant the company didn’t have complete control over the delivery. “Customer experience wasn’t what we aspired for,” says the company.
The reason for launching a larger fleet was to address problems customers faced when placing orders for large family gatherings.
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Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
