MAM
Now 500 cities in India can order from Zomato
MUMBAI: India’s most loved food delivery platform, Zomato is now serving users in 500 cities across India.
Expanding to four new cities every day over the last month, Zomato is rapidly penetrating its food delivery services to utilize the untapped potential in Tier 3-4 cities in India. Today, Zomato makes over 1000 deliveries every minute – this figure has more than doubled in the past nine months.
The newest additions span across the width of our country, to name a few – Alappuzha and Malappuram (Kerala), Pushkar (Rajasthan), Ankleshwar and Mehsana (Gujarat), Kanyakumari, Kodaikanal and Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), Itarsi and Ashoknagar (Madhya Pradesh), Fazilka and Nawanshahr (Punjab), Vrindavan and Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh), Silvassa (Daman), Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh), Daltonganj (Jharkhand), Pataudi (Gurgaon), Osmanabad and Sawantwadi (Maharashtra) and Shillong (Meghalaya) – amongst others on the map. With this, Zomato’s food delivery services are now available in three north-eastern states – Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura.
Speaking on the development, Mohit Gupta, CEO- Food Delivery, Zomato, said, “We follow a data-driven strategy to decide potential cities encompassing a measure of the overall population, student population and restaurants. It is a delight to witness first-day-tales from lesser-known cities like Giridih in Jharkhand (population of around 1.5 lakh) clocking over 1000 orders/day and all restaurants in Gudivada in Andhra Pradesh (population of 1 lakh+) running out of food by lunchtime, on the very first day. While the growth in the top 15 cities has tripled in the last 12 months, our emerging cities now contribute 40% to our business. We are excited to change the paradigm of food as we continue to let every bit of India get a taste of Zomato.”
The expansion journey from 25 cities (July 2018) to 500 cities (July 2019) is filled with hard work, challenges, and, most importantly, learnings. Here are the key four learnings:
Far and wide is possible: Every city in India, big or small, thanks to the advent of mobile penetration, is an opportunity worth exploring. We relish the rush of being super-quick operationally but are also humbled by the collective efforts of making things happen in the not-so-inhabited regions.
Two wheels, one ecosystem: Staying true to the belief system behind its Delivery Universe, Zomato is mobilizing people towards better employment. With every single launch, we have observed a spike in the number of delivery partners joining the collective vision.
The beauty of brand recall: One of the most interesting and repetitive events has been the way people (both users and restaurants partners) have shown the desire to have Zomato’s food delivery services made available in their respective cities and towns. Zomato didn’t have to sell hard the brand, as people are already aware of how synonymous the brand is with food.
Challenges don’t last long: With a dedicated team and a singular focus, Zomato has set out realistic goals across varied geographies. The operational challenges faced haven’t been able to make Zomato regret its decision to expand and will not in the future.
On average, Zomato is onboarding 30-50 restaurants in each city; a figure that’s bound to move northward over the coming weeks. In this endeavour, the most endearing and humbling aspect has been the inclusion of delivery partners from the smaller cities/towns who wish to make food deliveries on their bicycles. As Zomato continues to work on introducing e-cycles in the upcoming fleet, the company is encouraging bicycle delivery.
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
