Description: Swiggy is an example of how a hyperlocal approach can be beneficial. We take Swiggy as a case study to discuss a larger push by startups to become hyperlocal.
Swiggy Case Study
In 1987, VSS Mani worked for a yellow pages company called United Database India. He had decided against giving his CA exams as he had to support his family through a tough time. Working at the company at the time, when computers were still a rare sight and the internet seemed a pipe dream, Mani had a revelation.
The yellow pages were successful because people always wound up having the need to call someone close to them. Mani knew the same when he worked at UDI. People always had the need to contact and do business with people and businesses near them. To make the process easier, he founded Just Dial in 1996. People could dial a number, query about what they were looking for, and get results.
In 1996, this was a revolutionary step towards starting a business that could serve customers looking for local solutions across the country.
Just Dial may not be the biggest Indian startup one thinks about in 2019. Nevertheless, Mani’s vision of providing hyperlocal solutions to basic problems has been at the forefront of the success of Indian startups like Ola, Flipkart, Zomato, and Swiggy.
Swiggy, like Just Dial, offers its customers a hyperlocal solution. Other Indian startups with the same measure of success have also worked because they solved an immediate impactful problem of a local audience.
In this case study, we discuss the rise of Swiggy and why focusing on hyperlocal solutions has become a priority for new startups.
Swiggy – An Introduction
Everyone knows about Swiggy. It’s a service serving different segments of the market. On one end, it is helping restaurants generate leads and streamline their food delivery service. On the other end, it is providing customers a one-stop solution to ordering food from a restaurant in their vicinity.
In other words, Swiggy is a facilitator between restaurants and customers. It’s is not the only one in the market either. Other companies such as Zomato, FoodPanda, and Uber Eats are also in the mix to gain bragging rights over the Indian food delivery market estimated at $15B back in 2017.
Its founders are Nandan Reddy, Sriharsha Majety, and Rahul Jaimini. All three are alumni of some of India’s top engineering colleges, namely IIT Kharagpur and BITS Pilani.
The company was founded in August 2014. Before its launch, Nandan and Sriharsha had been working on another startup of their own called Bundl. The startup’s speciality was providing small businesses the chance to connect with courier services. It was during this time that the idea of an online restaurant aggregator serving customers across India caught their eye.
Swiggy – Business Model
Swiggy’s business model is very simple. They understand the power of a hyperlocal service delivered effectively through a well-oiled machine. The chart below can be viewed as the core of how Swiggy works.
| Order Dispatch |
| Discover and Place Order |
| Delivery |
The process starts with a customer discovering a restaurant on the mobile app or website and placing an order after weighing his or her options. The restaurant accepts the order, prepares it, and waits for the delivery executive to arrive. The delivery executive, arranged by Swiggy, arrives at the restaurant, picks up the order, and delivers it to the address given earlier by the customer.
The entire process, simple as it is, is streamlined by cutting edge technology driving positive user experience. One thing Swiggy learned from the unorganized food delivery industry that existed earlier was the question of time. Independent restaurants took a lot of time to deliver orders as there was not a structure guiding each process. This is why Swiggy’s dual approach of targeting both customers and restaurants paid rich dividends.
Swiggy – The Numbers
Being such a bankable name in the industry, Swiggy has not been short on investors. It raised a whopping $1B in its last funding round. A summary of its funding has been given in the table below –
| Time | Money Raised | Investors |
| April 2015 | $2M | AccelSAIF Partners |
| June 2015 | $16.5M | AccelNorwest Venture PartnersSAIF Partners |
| Jan 2016 | $35M | AccelNorwest Venture PartnersSAIF PartnersHarmony PartnersRB Investments |
| May 2016 | $7M | AccelNorwest Venture Partners |
| September 2016 | $15M | AccelNorwest Venture PartnersSAIF PartnersBessemer Venture Partners |
| Jan 2017 | $5M | Innoven Capital |
| May 2017 | $80M | AccelNorwest Venture PartnersSAIF PartnersBessemer Venture PartnersProsus & NaspersHarmony Partners |
| February 2018 | $100M | Prosus & NaspersMeituan-Dianping |
| June 2018 | $210M | Prosus & NaspersMeituan-DianpingDST GlobalCoatue Management |
| December 2018 | $1B | Prosus & NaspersMeituan-DianpingDST GlobalCoatue ManagementWellington ManagementTencent HoldingHillhouse Capital Group |
Swiggy – Competitors
The factor that sets the food delivery industry of India apart from the taxi industry is the level of competition. In the latter, Ola and Uber have cornered most of the market leaving little space for another competitor to arrive.
The food industry though is a battle with multiple players. By December 2018, Swiggy had reportedly captured nearly half of the food delivery market. Zomato, second at 26%, has not been able to keep up with Swiggy. Zomato, however, operates on a much more diversified business model, gaining a lot of success through its Gold membership programme working well with diners. Furthermore, Zomato is a more relatable brand when it comes to the food business due to its aggregation of menus and ratings. It also operates in multiple countries, something Swiggy hasn’t done yet.
While Swiggy and Zomato dominate the industry, this hasn’t deterred other players from entering the fray.
Food Panda, one of the older players in the food delivery business, retains a key part of the industry. However, it has lost pace and seen much of its market share eroded. Its strategy to use discounts as a means to retain customers ultimately proved dangerous. Currently owned by Ola, FoodPanda is focusing on developing independent cloud kitchens to revive its growth cycle.
FoodPanda’s fall has been Uber Eats’ gained. After years of competing with Ola, Uber decided to diversify its position in the Indian market with Uber Eats. The recent fall in FoodPanda’s market share has been down to the rising popularity of Uber Eats.
These four players are not alone in the market. New companies such as Cure Fit and Faaso’s have also managed to gain a foothold.
While Swiggy leads the pack, the threat of Zomato and new innovative players entering the field will continue to pose a significant challenge.
Swiggy – SWOT Analysis
Swiggy is in a good position for now. It has a lot of cash to burn and some of the biggest names in investor circles backing its name.
Despite all these advantages, there is still relative uncertainty regarding its future. Business ultimately becomes a sport, and all sports fans know the uncertainty attached to any sport in general. With a SWOT analysis, we take a deeper look at the position of Swiggy it the market.
| Strengths | Weaknesses | Opportunities | Threats |
| Leader in the food delivery industry | Part of an industry known for having fickle customers Customers slowly becoming addicted to high discounts. Cashback and discount strategy unsustainable in the long run | Can expand to foreign markets | Many competitors in the field such as Zomato, Uber Eats, and Food Panda |
| Impressive returns from multiple funding rounds | Independent cloud kitchens present unique opportunity to maximize growth | Government regulation in the sector may disrupt operations | |
| Favourable impression amongst customers | Yet to put its immense cash reserve to use | Fear of restaurants opting out due to introduction of cloud kitchens and frustration with excessive discounts | |
| Large network of delivery partners across India | Brand image always in precarious position as even small customer complaints have potential of becoming viral social media campaigns harming image of brand | Make Swiggy Super has impactful as Zomato Gold | Dealing with discount-addicted customers |
| Great eye for running viral marketing campaigns and awareness programs | Branching into smaller niches such as healthy food, cuisine-based offering, and catering. | Having a narrow business model in comparison to Zomato |
In Conclusion
In conclusion, this case study covers the bare bones of how Swiggy works, its funding history, its competitors, and position in the market. For Swiggy to grow, it will have to confront its weaknesses head-on while taking lucrative opportunities which may present themselves in the future.
There is also the question of negating the many threats Swiggy has to deal with. Competition, government regulation, and fickle customers are a trifecta of doom for Swiggy, one it will have to face in the near future.
About the Author – Gaurav Heera is a digital marketing trainer and entrepreneur. He founded DelhiCourses.in in 2008 with the vision to offer students, professionals, and entrepreneurs the chance to learn digital marketing at an affordable price. He is also well-known in the digital marketing industry, having worked with some of the biggest names in the industry. DelhiCourses is a top digital marketing institute best-known amongst students looking for a digital marketing course in Delhi.
