The Strategy Behind Zomato’s Hilarious Push Notifications & Email Marketing

Imagine you are just scrolling through your work emails. Ding-dong! Zomato’s push notification arrives: 

“A for Aaj Dinner me

B for Briyani hai”

Order Now! 

And suddenly, there is a grumble in your stomach, and before you know it, you are ordering a biryani. This is Zomato’s marketing power! 

One of the big players in the food delivery industry, Zomato has built its empire not just by food delivery standards but through amazing digital marketing strategies. 

With funny push notifications and witty emails, they have mastered the art of retaining customers(Especially Gen Z Kids). So, what is the magic behind this? Let us now find out.

From Foodie Bay to Zomato: The Evolution

Before Zomato became a household name, it started as a simple restaurant listing platform called Foodie Bay. It soon grew into a food-delivery giant, operating in 23 countries and listing more than 1.4 million restaurants. The challenge? Getting customers there and keeping them engaged. This is the realm of extremely creative emails and notification messaging.

Who’s Ordering? Understanding the Target Audience

Zomato primarily aims at the digitally literate bunch within the age group of 18-35 years. Whether it’s a college kid craving pizza at midnight, an office worker hoping for a quick lunch, or a family ordering a feast for the weekend, Zomato ensures that its marketing lands directly to the audience.

And here comes the best part: their Messages do not sound like ads; these are more like messages from a friend who knows you and your love for food very well.

Zomato’s Email Marketing Strategy

1. Segmentation & Personalization: Because One Size Never Fits All

The generic emails are so 2010. As Zomato divides its clients according to preferences, ordering habits, and even the time of day they usually order. A late-night snacker? Expect to get an email at 11 PM offering deals on burgers. Love sushi? Expect recommendations tailored just for you.

2. Welcome Emails: Love at First Click

First impressions last. Zomato’s welcome emails aren’t dull. They don’t just say “Hey, thanks for signing up!” Instead, they introduce you to features, throw in a discount, and get you to order your first one ASAP. Smart, right?

3. Order Updates & Confirmation Emails: Keeping It Smooth

Ever ordered and wondered, “Where is my food?” Zomato keeps users in the loop every step with the following:

• Order Confirmation 
• Live tracking updates
• Delivery Details

So, there is no unnecessary frustration, and everything flows through perfectly for the consumers.

4. Personalized Recommendations: The Netflix of Food

Zomato doesn’t just remind you to eat; it suggests what to eat. By analyzing past orders and user preferences, they send hyper-personalized recommendations, making it easier for you to discover your next favorite meal.

5. Promotional Offers & Discounts: Because Who Doesn’t Love a Good Deal?

Limited-time discounts, exclusive coupon codes, and festive offers keep customers coming back. And not a “Get 20% off!” email, but “Your wallet wants you to order this burger. Listen to it.” 

Push Notifications: The Real Show Stealer. 

If email marketing is bread for Zomato, push notifications are butter. 

Fun & Quirky: “Salads don’t ask silly questions. Burgers understand.” 

Create Urgency: “Your favorite pizza is waiting. But it won’t wait forever.” 

Relatable: “Dinner plans? Let’s be real, it’s you and your couch again.” 

These notifications cut through the noise and grab the attention within seconds, turning orders into sales quicker than most. 

Beyond Emails & Notifications: Other Smart Strategies

1. Event-Based Campaigns: Hitting All the Right Notes

Zomato runs themed offers during a cricket match: “India vs. Pakistan? Don’t watch on an empty stomach! Get 30% off on snacks.” 

Emails carry festive moods: “Diwali calls for sweets. And we are making it extra sweet with a 25% discount.” 

2. Newsletter & Content Sharing: More Than Food

Zomato’s newsletter includes blog posts, fun food facts, and quizzes to entertain users beyond just ordering food. This keeps the brand alive in their minds when they are not actively looking to order.

3. A/B Testing: The Science Behind the Humor

Zomato does not simply go with their gut about whether an email or notification will work- they put it to the test. Testing everything from the subject line to the call-to-action button, timing, degree of wittiness, and more, they optimize engagement down to the tiniest detail.

4. SEO: The Search Engine Magic

Zomato boasts 2,494,988 keyword rankings and 30.4M organic sessions each month from search engines. The site has optimized all its URLs with the relevant top food keywords to be displayed in their crawlers. In addition, there are also strong backlinks from 12.4 M+ domains, including .gov and .edu sites, which further boost its authority for higher SERP rankings. Page-wise keyword placement is strategically done for search enhancement. Though it has tough competition, its SEO remains 2.5 times stronger than that of Swiggy.

Key Takeaways for Businesses

What does Zomato bring to your business at the end of the day if you intend to take your digital marketing strategy to the next level? Here are the top rules:

1. Know your Audience: Speak their language and weave your message into their experience.
2. Be Witty & Engaging: Boring messages are ignored. Make them smile. Add Sarcasm to your Ad copies, push notifications.
3. Smart Use of Data: Don’t forget to segment, personalize, and optimize for maximum impact.
4. Build, Measure, Learn: A/B test for content to see what resonates best with your audience.
5. Stay Relevant: Users will always be interested in the most time-sensitive, event-based, and contextually pertinent messages. So, Stay Relevant.

Need Help with Your Digital Marketing?

Want to apply Zomato-like marketing genius to your own business? Then you are at the right place because we are the top digital marketing agency in Ahmedabad, specialized in crafting creative, data-driven, and effective marketing campaigns for the ROI-driven results. Be it getting some very engaging email strategies or highly converting push notifications, we cater to all your requirements.

Make your brand the next talk of the town – just contact us today and let’s plan a strong digital marketing strategy for your brand.

Final Thought: Zomato did not create a food delivery service; they created a personality brand that people fall in love with, and if there is something that can be learnt from them, it’s this: “Marketing is not selling; it is connecting.”

Now, who’s ordering lunch?

Chirag Shah CEO and Founder at Shoutnhike.com I help client to grow business online with measurable result and swift ROI. I have 15+ years of Digital Marketing Industry experience and I have helped 2000+ business to grow online. I am Google Adwords and Analytics certified professional with practical expertise.