Zomato’s first year as a listed company marked by growth challenges

Resurfacing a July 2021 milestone: Inc42 reviews Zomato’s first year on the public markets, tracing the Indian food-delivery platform’s post-listing journey and the operational, market and investor challenges it faced between its 2021 IPO and July 2022.

— FiledTue, 15 Sept, 2026, 16:32 IST·First seen Tue, 15 Sept, 2026, 16:31 IST·Source Inc42 · Quick Commerce

What happened

Inc42 reviews Zomato’s chequered first year as a publicly listed Indian food-delivery company, assessing its journey since listing and the challenges faced

Key facts

  • 1 year as a public company
  • July 17, 2022 publication date

Why this matters

Zomato’s listed-market challenges may increase the strategic value of partnerships, consolidation and capability acquisitions that strengthen economics or deepen customer retention.

What to watch

  • Sequential improvement in adjusted EBITDA and contribution margin per order.
  • Growth versus slowdown in monthly transacting customers, order frequency and gross order value.
  • Blinkit revenue growth relative to dark-store expansion, losses and order economics.
  • Changes in platform fees, delivery charges, restaurant commissions or discount levels.
  • Swiggy funding, pricing actions, market-share commentary and any public-listing preparation.
  • Regulatory changes affecting gig-worker protections, delivery costs, restaurant commissions or competition policy.
  • Insider selling, secondary share issuance, acquisition activity or revisions to profitability targets.
  • Emphasize profitability metrics and quarterly guidance over headline order growth.
  • Increase platform fees, advertising monetization and restaurant-service revenue to lift contribution margins.
  • Use loyalty programs and cross-platform offers to connect food delivery, dining-out and quick commerce users.
  • Rationalize low-density geographies, weak merchant cohorts and inefficient delivery capacity.
  • Manage investor expectations through clearer segment reporting and cash-burn disclosures.