Ever wondered about the reason behind Zomato's cheeky notifications? Deepinder Goyal reveals

Deepinder Goyal explained that he initially derived this direction from a book on customer engagement

In a recent appearance on "The Great Indian Kapil Show" on Netflix, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal shared insights about the naming and branding of Zomato, now one of India’s most recognised food delivery platforms. Goyal recounted that Zomato’s founders originally intended the platform’s name to reference “Tomato,” inspired by the ubiquitous ingredient found in kitchens worldwide. However, the domain “tomato.com” was already in use, forcing the founders to get creative.

Goyal also noted that pronunciation varies by preference, a quirk reflected in Zomato’s ads featuring cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth debating the name’s correct pronunciation.

The CEO also shared the reasoning behind Zomato’s unique push notifications, which have become well-known for their cheeky, casual tone. Zomato’s marketing team took on Goyal’s advice to “build a relationship with the customer” in a way that no other platform was doing. Goyal explained that he initially derived this direction from a book on customer engagement, but he hadn’t expected the team to bring it to life in such a bold way. The marketing team, full of young staff, applied this idea by crafting flirtatious, engaging notifications that have turned into a key feature of Zomato’s consumer experience.

“Our marketing team is very young. They don't have any background in marketing. They are passionate people. So, I briefed them one day to make a relationship with the customer. Even I didn't know what it meant. I don't have any marketing background. I read a book and it said to make a relationship with the customer. I told them. They took me seriously,” Goyal said.