With Diwali approaching in Bengaluru, I want to run a special offer for my cloud kitchen on Zomato and Swiggy. What is the most effective way to plan and execute this to get the most orders?
Running festival offers effectively is about more than just activating a discount. The most successful strategy involves planning ahead with themed combos, maximizing your visibility by joining platform-wide campaigns, and most importantly, preparing your kitchen operations for the inevitable rush to avoid a drop in your ratings.
Plan Ahead with Themed Offers
My friend, who runs a North Indian cloud kitchen in Jayanagar, Bengaluru, starts planning his Diwali offers two weeks in advance. Instead of just offering a flat discount, he creates a special, limited-time “Diwali Family Feast” combo in his menu, which includes his best-selling curries, breads, and a festive dessert. He found that a well-thought-out, themed combo feels more special to customers and results in a higher average order value than a simple percentage-off deal.
Boost Visibility by Joining Platform Campaigns
A colleague who runs a dessert shop in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, told me her secret for festival success is to leverage the platform’s marketing muscle. A week before Diwali, she gets a notification in her Swiggy and Zomato Partner apps to opt-in to the official “Diwali Campaign.” By participating (which usually requires offering a certain minimum discount), her restaurant gets featured on the app’s homepage in a special, highly visible collection. This gives her a massive boost in visibility that she couldn’t achieve on her own.
Prepare Your Kitchen for the Inevitable Rush
The owner of a popular biryani brand in Koramangala, Bengaluru, gave me the most important piece of advice. He said, “A festival offer will bring a huge number of orders. If your kitchen is not ready, you will get a flood of 1-star reviews for delays.” For a big day like New Year’s Eve, he schedules extra kitchen staff, pre-preps a larger quantity of his base ingredients, and sometimes even temporarily removes his most complex dishes from the menu to focus on speed and quality for his best-sellers.
Create Value-Driven Combos, Not Just Discounts
Another friend who runs a pizza kitchen in Whitefield, Bengaluru, shared his strategy for Valentine’s Day. Instead of just a “20% off” deal, he creates a “Couple’s Combo” that includes one pizza, a side, and a dessert for a special price. This feels like a more complete and valuable offer to the customer than a simple discount, and it helps him sell a full meal, increasing his revenue per order.