Why did Zomato’s ‘green fleet’ get red-flagged?
It's perhaps not wrong to cater to the needs of India's formidable vegetarian consumer base; however, it's equally important to acknowledge the human repercussions in any business move, say experts
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Nothing exemplifies this thought better than Zomato’s “green fleet” fiasco.
Barely a day after the homegrown food-delivery company announced that it would be launching a separate fleet for its “pure veg” consumers, it was forced to pull it down.
CEO Deepinder Goyal on March 19 took to X to announce that the company has found a way to cater to the needs of India’s large vegetarian population.
Zomato's green fleet service offered a dedicated group of delivery partners who will wear green uniforms with green boxes, delivering food only from “pure-veg” restaurants.
Goyal wrote: “India has the largest percentage of vegetarians in the world, and one of the most important feedback we’ve gotten from them is that they are very particular about how their food is cooked, and how their food is handled. To solve for their dietary preferences, we are today, launching a ‘Pure Veg Mode’ along with a ‘Pure Veg Fleet’ on Zomato, for customers who have a 100% vegetarian dietary preference. Pure Veg Mode will consist of a curation of restaurants that serve only pure vegetarian food, and will exclude all restaurants which serve any non-veg food item.”
What began with a lot of gusto ended on an anticlimactic note for Zomato. Much to the company’s horror, the announcement was not met with appreciation or applause but bitter backlash.
Questions were asked on the need for such a service, and whether the red-green segregation was such a pressing need. Some even asked Zomato whether the delivery partners themselves would be “pure veg”, a valid question given the company’s own fastidious outlook on vegetarianism.
But the most compelling criticism was about the casteist undertones behind such a segregation.
Bad taste or bad move?
On paper, Zomato’s intentions were innocuous. India has a formidable vegetarian demographic, the largest in the world. It makes perfect business sense to look out for the needs the sizable consumer group.
Said Samit Sinha, Managing Partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting, “India has a large vegetarian population, but we have different kinds of vegetarians like vegans, people who are vegetarian on certain days, or people who eat eggs and don’t eat any other meat. Similarly, there is a certain size who is a ‘pure-veg’ people. To serve this population is right, and getting the food cooked in a ‘pure-veg’ kitchen is also correct to some extent.”
N Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, also believes that the move was a genuine effort towards serving a niche market but has been taken it in bad taste.
He said, “It was a smart business move and I’m surprised there was a backlash for a thoughtful effort. It was an intelligent move and it should have worked out well.”
Similarly, Nisha Sampath, Brand Consultant, and Founder, of Bright Angles Consulting, said, “There might have been a demand for it from a particular section of consumers, so having the separate service was correct.”
However, like many things in the country, the move has to be viewed in India’s larger social context. Dietary taboos in India are often rooted in its history of caste, especially the ones that revolve around veg and non-veg food.
Despite its good intentions, it’s perhaps not wrong to say that Zomato was ham-fisted in its approach, and the experts agree.
Sampath pointed out, “Making it very explicit wasn’t needed. That’s where they went wrong. For the company, this move could have been a great opportunity by going niche.”
For Sinha, involving delivery partners was the cardinal sin. “What are you trying to say, if somebody delivers veg and also non-veg food, then the veg food will become contaminated. Or are you saying that the delivery partners are vegetarian as well? This was not a well-thought-out move.
“Could they have done it differently or in a better way - yes. One of the ways could have been that they would have kept separate containers or separate boxes”, he added.
Brownie points for Zomato
Credit where credit is due. Zomato may have gone wrong with the minutiae of executing such a service, but props to the company for listening and listening well.
When the backlash grew, Zomato did the right thing by graciously accepting where it went wrong and acknowledging how the red-green uniform distinction could compromise the safety of delivery partners.
“Thanks everyone for talking about this last night. You made us understand the unintended consequences of this rollout. All the love, and all the brickbats were all so useful - and helped us get to this optimal point.
“This will ensure that our red uniform delivery partners are not incorrectly associated with non-veg food, and blocked by any RWAs or societies during any special days… our riders’ physical safety is of paramount importance to us,” said Goyal.
“Unlike other times, Zomato has taken fast action and I don’t think it will hamper the brand image,” said Chandramouli.
Sampath lauded Goyal for putting delivery partner’s safety first: “It was a correct move by Goyal with the safety of delivery partners and consumers at heart. Goyal has always stood for their values and things he believes in, with the withdrawal of the uniform, he again proved that Zomato thinks about people and listens to the consumers.”
With inputs from Tanzila Shaikh
