6 Things You Must Do To Rank Your Restaurant On Zomato and Swiggy

Today, the Indian online food delivery market is HUGE. Not a shocker. After all, we all are guilty of scrolling through Zomato and Swiggy, even when we aren’t hungry. The obvious other reason is these tempting offers that food ordering platforms offer us. Don’t lie if you haven’t clicked on some quirky Zomato offers.

Most restaurant owners are taking advantage of these online food ordering platforms to increase sales. In fact, cloud kitchens make all their sales through these channels. But while thousands and thousands of restaurants are listed on Zomato and Swiggy, not all of them get discovered and make sales.

When customers open these platforms, they have a million options to choose from, and the dilemma for a restaurateur is to figure out how to increase their visibility and sales. To help you make the most of online sales, we have five strategies to increase your visibility on food aggregators. 

Read Third-Party Integration: 6 Ways It Helps Boost Your Restaurant Business

According to research, over 40% of consumers prefer ordering and delivery services to deliver their favourite food to their homes.

6 Things You Can Do To Rank Your Restaurant On Food Ordering Platforms

Use these strategies to get ahead in your online delivery business.

1. Advertisements

Pay for an advertisement and become the first thing customers see when they open the app. 

• As there is significant competition on food ordering platforms, investing in advertisements to be at the top of the scroll is a good idea. 
• Zomato and Swiggy offer multiple advertisements and listing options and plans to restaurants, like banner ads, promoting your offers, listing your restaurant under ‘trending,’ ‘recommended,’ etc. 
• Carefully choose the advertisement formats that work for you. If your restaurant specializes in Chinese food, then it’s a good idea to feature on top when customers search for noodles, while not a good idea to invest in features for pizza searches.

2. Offers & Discounts

It is no secret that customers like offers and discounts. It will get you noticed by your audience. 

• Presenting customers with exclusive offers and discounts is one of the best ways to get noticed and increase sales anywhere, and so is the case with these food-ordering platforms. 
• On both the apps, Swiggy and Zomato, there is a special section at the beginning of restaurants offering exciting deals. Whenever you offer a discount, your restaurant will appear in the section. 
• You can offer BOGO, 20% off on orders about INR 200, some complimentary dishes, unique breakfast combos, etc.

3. Wait Time

Reducing your wait time is another fantastic way to stand out, get noticed, and increase your sales. 

• When customers order food online, the amount of time it will take for the food to reach the restaurant’s kitchen to their house determines their likelihood of ordering from the restaurant. 
• The less time you take, the more likely people will notice and order from you. When customers filter restaurants offering the fastest delivery, your restaurant will feature on top. 
• It would help if you reduced your kitchen preparation time to improve delivery. 
• Investing in a good restaurant POS is a great way to reduce your kitchen preparation time. It can also help streamline your kitchen operations, as it seamlessly manages all food ordering platforms with all the major online order aggregators in one place.

4. Online Delivery Menu

Your online delivery menu is critical in driving your food delivery sales. 

• Special Delivery Menu: Offering your restaurant’s dishes in your delivery services can lead to wastage or spilling. Create a special delivery menu solely dedicated to your online food ordering services. Read our blog here to learn how to create a bestselling food delivery menu for your restaurant. 

• Good Pictures: Food pictures work exceptionally well with online ordering. It should be so tempting that people can’t wait to order your food. Your pictures are the only visuals of your restaurant the consumers will see, making them attractive. 

5. Reviews & Ratings

Even when you start appearing in top searches, your ratings and reviews will change your visibility to sales. 

• People check ratings before choosing a restaurant for online food ordering. 
• The reviews and ratings you get from your customers on these apps are critical in building your visibility and driving more traffic to your place. 
• To improve your ratings on these platforms, you must enhance your overall customer experience by focusing on your food quality and packaging. Most importantly, you should request them to rate you online and leave reviews.

The popularity of Zomato and Swiggy has also risen drastically since the COVID-19 pandemic and is only bound to increase. It is an excellent idea for restaurants to go for food ordering platforms and smoothly manage their delivery operations. 

Read: How To Effectively Manage Multiple Food Delivery Partners?

But here are some crucial DON’Ts to avoid when aiming to improve your restaurant’s ranking on food-ordering platforms like Zomato and Swiggy.

1. Risk Losses on Ads: Just as you wouldn’t sacrifice the quality of your ingredients, only schedule promotions or ads with stable funds to back them up. Please ensure your budget is strong enough to weather any fluctuations and mitigate potential losses, allowing you to maintain profitability while maximizing the impact of your marketing efforts.
   
2. Neglect Account Management: Don’t let the glam of advertising overshadow the importance of maintaining the hygiene of your Zomato and Swiggy accounts. A well-maintained profile is an appetizer to a delightful dining experience, enticing potential diners to take a closer look and ultimately make a reservation at your restaurant.
   
3. Ignore Cuisine Understanding: Every successful dish starts with a deep understanding of its core ingredients and the same holds for your advertising strategy. Before launching ad campaigns or setting budgets, genuinely understand your cuisine and target audience. By aligning your marketing efforts with the preferences and tastes of your potential diners, you can create campaigns that resonate and drive meaningful results.
   
4. Overlook Trends: In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, staying ahead of the curve is essential to maintaining a competitive edge. Avoid falling into the trap of overlooking emerging trends or dismissing observed patterns in click timing and customer behaviour. By keeping a finger on the pulse of the latest developments, you can adapt your marketing strategy accordingly and ensure your restaurant remains relevant and enticing to today’s discerning diners.
   
5. Neglect Aggregator Ecosystem Understanding: When leveraging food ordering platforms like Zomato and Swiggy for marketing purposes, it’s crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the aggregator ecosystem and how it interacts with your business. From understanding the costs associated with advertising to navigating partnerships with other companies, a deep knowledge of the platform is essential to maximizing your marketing efforts and achieving sustainable growth.

So follow these strategies to increase your visibility on food aggregation platforms and stay ahead of the game. Also, check out Petpooja’s POS, where you can easily manage all your food ordering platforms and services directly on a single dashboard. 

We hope this blog helps you in your restaurant business. To get more exciting information and practical tips, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our newsletter.