 "Zomato")
With the new year rolling in, food delivery major Zomato has increased its mandatory platform fee, charged from users, from Rs 3 to Rs 4 in its key markets, as per the company’s app.
The new fee, which will be levied starting January 1, comes at a time when the company has witnessed an unprecedented surge in order volumes on New Year’s Eve. Zomato achieved a record-breaking number of orders on its app on the occasion, reaching an all-time high.
The listed firm had introduced a Rs 2 platform fee back in August last year as it looked to improve its margins and become profitable. It subsequently increased the fee to Rs 3 before doing so yet again now.
Its Bengaluru-based rival, Swiggy, had also introduced a similar Rs 2 fee last year, which was later increased to Rs 3.
The fee is levied on all customers, regardless of whether they are part of the company’s loyalty programme Zomato Gold, which provides benefits such as free deliveries and increased discounts.
“It is a small fee to make our economics better and viable in the long run. We make sure we keep our service affordable for our customers at all times,” Zomato’s chief financial officer, Akshant Goyal, had said to shareholders while announcing the company’s Q2FY24 results.
