Paytm partners with Zomato to introduce in-app food ordering service

The partnership with Zomato comes weeks after Paytm waived off all extra charges on booking train tickets through its platform. Indian e-payment behemoth Paytm has reportedly partnered with Zomato to enable food ordering through its app. As per trusted sources, in the initial phase the food ordering service is available only to customers using Paytm on Android devices in the Delhi-NCR region. Although the company does intend on making it available nationwide and across the Paytm iOS application as well, cite sources close to the deal. The partnership with Zomato comes weeks after the e-payment company waived off all extra charges on booking train tickets through its platform. Meanwhile, Zomato introduced its online food ordering and delivery service to 30 more cities across India, cite sources. According to Livemint, post its initial roll out in the Delhi-NCR region, Paytm’s food ordering service is estimated to cover over 80 thousand restaurants spread across 100 cities by the end of this month. Given that Paytm has already established a strong user-base in tier-II and tier-III cities, the move also aims to significantly improve food ordering penetration in India. Paytm is reportedly giving out cashbacks of up to INR 100 as an introductory offer for its customers ordering food via the mobile application. The food and beverage segment is already one of its largest payment categories both in terms of volume and transactions, claims Paytm. Renu Satti, Senior VP of Paytm said in a statement that the partnership with Zomato is a valuable addition to the platform, offering the convenience of online food ordering through the app. Most Paytm users belong to the tier-II and tier-III cities, thus the company is confident about further driving the growth of the online food ordering segment, she added. Industry experts believe Paytm’s foray into food ordering business has the potential to give other service providers in the industry like Swiggy and Uber Eats a run for their money. Reportedly, cab-hailing company Ola also integrated online platform Foodpanda into its app, which expanded its services to 50 cities in October 2018.