BY BHARAT UPADHYAY
Uber Eats is not only going to stay put in the growing food tech industry in India but is also building strong linkages with restaurant partners for a seamless delivery experience for its customers, a senior company executive said on Friday.
Without diverging much details on whether the company is going to take the grocery delivery service route soon, Bansi Kotecha who is Head of Operations, Uber Eats told IANS that currently, food tech industry is a massive opportunity and they are focused on improving food delivery with restaurant partners in the country.
In the next three years, the food tech industry in India is going to grow from $4 billion to $15 billion.
"This industry is perfect for Uber Eats. Right now, we are more focused on delivery with the restaurant partners. We are learning in the India market and making our mark in that space before we can add anything more to it," Kotecha told IANS.
Talking about the difference between Uber Eats and the other food delivery platforms, Kotecha elaborated: "We are present in 500-plus cities across the globe. What we thrive on is our tech enablement. We have perfected the art of working through restaurant partners in making sure that the delivery experience is impeccable for all kinds of market places".
Uber Eats that came to India in May 2017 is witnessing fast adoption of its services among millennials. Uber Eats' business grew by 50 per cent (month-on-month) in its first year of operations in India.
The company still has to lot of ground to cover, in order to compete with Zomato or Swiggy that are leading the food tech industry.
Uber Eats is witnessing fast adoption of its services among millennials. Wikimedia Commons
To achieve that, Uber Eats is "making sure that consumers are able to get most value out of the entire delivery experience".
"At the beginning, people looked at ordering from the same restaurant. Now, we are getting into space where people are searching for a cuisine, searching for a dish. They are not searching for only restaurants anymore," explained Kotecha.
On future plans, Kotecha said that in the last two years, they have witnessed double-digit growth and are now present in 44 cities in India.
"We are fast penetrating into tier II and III markets. We have perfected the art of managing restaurant partners, making sure that we understand the nuances of what it takes to succeed in a market like India," Kotecha added.
Uber Eats on Friday launched a new marketing campaign titled #EatsNewEveryday featuring Alia Bhatt and Dulquer Salmaan. The campaign targets youth between the ages of 18 and 25 and addresses their need to seek new experiences while ordering food.
"The campaign aims to create awareness and generate brand love among consumers, especially youth who're looking for convenience and want to maximize their experiences on the platform," Kotecha said. (IANS)