Zomato Marketing Strategy 2025 Explained

Marketing Channels Used by Zomato

Zomato’s primary marketing channel is digital, leveraging its massive presence across social media, search, and app-based platforms for reach and real-time engagement. Within digital, the brand uses:

• SEO: Targeting trending, hyperlocal food queries.
• SEM/Paid Ads: Google and YouTube ads boost discovery and app installs.
• Social Media: Instagram and Twitter for meme marketing, video stories, and influencer takeovers.
• Content Marketing: Blogs, video recipes, and restaurant features.
• Influencer Marketing: Collaborations with food bloggers and micro-influencers in local languages.
• App Push & Email: Personalised deals, witty push alerts, and creative campaigns.

Emerging tactics include voice search optimisation, hyperlocal regional campaigns, and CSR initiatives. The strategy is tailored per city/region to amplify resonance, engagement, and conversions.

Zomato Marketing Strategy Breakdown

Digital Marketing

• Zomato leverages SEO across food, restaurant, and grocery search terms like “midnight snacks Mumbai” and “instant grocery delivery.”
• Blinkit's SEM campaigns emphasise its 10-minute delivery USP, leading to a 20% YoY CTR increase.

Content Strategy

• Zomato runs meme-driven campaigns, witty push notifications, and seasonal emailers.
• Blog topics like “Top Monsoon Street Foods” gained 350% more traffic YoY.
• YouTube Shorts and bite-sized food videos boosted dwell time.

Influencer & Brand Partnerships

• Zomato collaborates with IPL cricketers, regional food creators, and brands like Amul, Sleepy Owl, and Saffola.
• Tier 2 and Tier 3 grocery challenges with micro-influencers drove strong UGC and regional traction.

Social Media Marketing

• Instagram Reels and Stories dominate Zomato’s content.
• Twitter is used for quick replies and humour. YouTube Shorts enhance storytelling during campaigns.

App Marketing & Notifications

• Blinkit’s push notifications have a 33% open rate, compared to 17% for emails.
• Live-cart reminders increased order completions by 25%.

Media Mix & Channels

• 60% performance (Meta, Google), 30% organic (SEO, social, content), 10% traditional (OOH, cinema ads).
• Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and push notifications remain core.

Messaging

• A witty, quirky, and relatable tone is maintained across both Zomato and Blinkit.

Results & Impact

Sales & Revenue

• Zomato’s consolidated revenue for FY 2024–25 reached ₹20,243 crore, marking a 67% year-on-year growth.
• This was driven by strong performance in food delivery, rapid expansion in Blinkit’s quick commerce, and growing B2B operations.

Source: Semrush

Traffic & App Performance

• Zomato crossed 80 million monthly app users in 2025.
• The bounce rate dropped to 27%, showing improved user engagement. 
• Organic traffic now accounts for 48% of total sessions, up from 40% in 2023.
• Zomato ranks in the top 3 positions for over 3,500 food and delivery-related keywords.

Engagement & Social Media

• Social media followers increased by 17% in 2024, totalling 1.2 million on Instagram. 
• The #ZomatoMemes campaign achieved 120 million impressions, 2 million shares, and 300,000 user-generated posts in just one month.

Influencer & Regional Growth

• Tier 2 and Tier 3 market campaigns resulted in a 28% boost in app growth.
• Micro-influencer content delivered an impressive 11% average engagement rate.

Media & Brand Credibility

• Zomato received over 150 earned media mentions and was named one of India’s Top 10 Most-Trusted Brands in 2025 by ET Brand Equity.

Customer Loyalty

• Zomato Gold renewals increased by 27%, and repeat orders rose by 36%, showing strong user retention and loyalty.

What Worked & Why

Zomato’s success stemmed from merging witty guerrilla content with real-time hyperlocal execution.

Blinkit’s focus on dark stores and optimised routes amplified its Q-commerce lead.

Smart use of influencer collaborations, especially in Tier 2 cities, brought credibility. 

Cross-promotional synergies with Hyperpure and Zomato Gold elevated loyalty.

The “Eternal” rebrand also clarified multi-vertical ambitions.

Together, these tactics created a unified, growth-friendly marketing engine.

What Didn’t Work & Why

The rain-fee policy and additional delivery charges backfired initially, causing social backlash and reduced app ratings.

Zomato had to clarify through memes and push alerts quickly. 

The overlap between the Zomato and Blinkit apps led to confusion, diluting the user experience.

Rebrand messaging lacked clarity early on, creating perception gaps.

Some influencer campaigns lacked traction due to misalignment with Blinkit’s quick-utility brand voice.

IIDE Student Recommendations: Key Areas for Brand Improvement

To accelerate Zomato’s national and Tier 2/3 market leadership, we propose five focused, real-world improvements that drive long-term brand equity, deeper engagement, and scalable ROI:

1. Hyperlocal Storytelling Through Regional Creators

Key Tactic: Build dedicated regional creator pods in 15+ languages to create relatable food and grocery narratives.

Why: Trust and resonance in Tier 2/3 cities are driven by language, culture, and community familiarity. Hyperlocal content will lower acquisition costs and increase app retention organically.

2. Predictive Push Campaigns Using AI Segmentation

Key Tactic: Use predictive behavioural data (like time of order, cart value, cuisine preference) to send hyper-personalised push alerts.

Why: AI-personalised campaigns increase CTR and reduce notification fatigue, especially in Q-commerce, where timing is critical.

3. Gamified Zomato Gold Experience

Key Tactic: Add milestones, achievements, and interactive rewards to Zomato Gold.

Why: Loyalty programs that feel fun and progress-based outperform static models, especially among Gen Z and Millennials. This also increases session frequency.

4. Voice & Visual Commerce Integration

Key Tactic: Enable voice ordering and build visual grocery boards (e.g., “Biryani Kit,” “Navratri Staples”) across Zomato and Blinkit.

Why: Aligns with rising trends in voice search and visual SEO. Great for accessibility, speed, and search-to-purchase flow.

5. Outcome-Based Brand Collaborations

Key Tactic: Partner with fitness, lifestyle, or creator brands for value-led integrations like “healthy meal packs” or “quick chef boxes.”

Why: Moves beyond branding into utility. Customers want smart bundles, not just logos.