We want to make Zomato a place that provides equitable access to opportunities for all genders. We want to be a sustainable company that the nation, and equally importantly, our parents will be proud of, in how we help in creating a better society. As part of this effort, we have been introducing more women workers into different parts of our business, so our efforts at creating meaningful opportunities for women do not stop within the confines of our offices.



We have already onboarded over 2,000 women delivery partners into our food delivery fleet and will continue to work hard to multiply that number. Another crucial area where we see opportunity to create roles for women is in our warehouses and dark stores, housed within our Hyperpure and Blinkit businesses. Here are some learnings as we start introducing women workers into supply chain jobs at these facilities &#8211;&nbsp; What we’re learning about gender diversity in our warehouses and dark stores



Both the Blinkit and Hyperpure businesses rely on workers in roles such as loading, unloading, picking, sorting, grading, security and housekeeping. However, the proportion of women across our warehouse and dark store facilities is currently low (&lt;5%).&nbsp;



We initiated a pilot at two of our Delhi and Mumbai warehouses and a dark store in Delhi to learn about the impact of having more women on the shopfloor, the targets we could feasibly set and investments required to make the warehouse/store environment more conducive for women. 



We onboarded 46 women in total &#8211; about 15% of the warehouse day shift workforce and 40% of the dark store workforce &#8211; and here are some business benefits we experienced in 2 months &#8211;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Women improved the metrics around handling products within stores and warehouses



We witnessed that women workers were much more careful with respect to handling perishable categories of products like eggs, fruits and vegetables. In both warehouse locations, complaints raised against orders handled by women were ~16% less than men<a href="#849c86ea-e1a0-45fd-a28a-051852666674" id="849c86ea-e1a0-45fd-a28a-051852666674-link">1</a>. Warehouse managers also highlighted that women workers paid great attention to detail and set high-quality standards for sorting and grading, especially for fresh produce. Women take fewer unplanned leaves



In dark stores, women took less than half the unplanned leaves than men took<a href="#1ec4fe67-68ef-4098-a4e1-bffd399fbeac" id="1ec4fe67-68ef-4098-a4e1-bffd399fbeac-link">2</a>. Unplanned leaves affect existing distribution of tasks among workers and hampers store productivity.



Women have lower attrition rates than men



In locations that were accessible by public transport, it was observed that no woman left within the first 15 days of joining<a href="#0ef84582-f685-495d-ad79-664ade62d30b" id="0ef84582-f685-495d-ad79-664ade62d30b-link">3</a>. This could be as much behavioural as a reflection on the availability of opportunities.



Women demonstrate higher productivity across a variety of roles&nbsp;



In a business that runs on hyper efficient operations, time is money. In our dark store pilot, women took ~ 28% less time than men to process orders as a result of being faster at responding, picking and billing<a href="#e238ca55-262c-4c7b-93d7-b6041552709c" id="e238ca55-262c-4c7b-93d7-b6041552709c-link">4</a>. In warehouses, when women were engaged in a variety of tasks, instead of being confined to working in a specific section, they demonstrated productivity gains in the range of 5-11% in tasks like sorting and grading.



Women significantly impact the working environment, positively



Managers across all pilot locations pointed out that the culture of the facility improved post deployment of women. These cultural improvements included improved language at the facility, fewer altercations, and higher levels of cleanliness and hygiene.



“Women keep their working environment clean and hygienic.”



<ul>
<li>Warehouse Manager, Mumbai</li>
</ul>



—&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;



“Since the time I started working here, I have grown as a leader. I like helping out the other women here and together we have made a community where we can help and inspire each other.”



<ul>
<li>Hina, 30 years, mother of a 10-year old who works as a picker in our Delhi facility</li>
</ul>



—&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;



Challenges we are focusing on overcoming



Planning for and maintaining additional female washrooms&nbsp;



Provisioning for additional washrooms for women is less of an issue in our warehouses as they have a lot more space for amenities. For smaller facilities, such as dark stores, we have begun planning for these in advance to enable onboarding of women. 



Providing dedicated transport to encourage better women&#8217;s participation in roles outside city centres



We have begun providing transport for women for select warehouses in outskirts of the city and have found onboarding to be much easier. In one location, we were able to onboard 75% more women than we were before. Provision of transportation also significantly improves the perceived safety associated with the opportunity.



Ideally, women need someone of their own gender to approach for support at workplace



Several women workers face challenges with expressing their desire to work and explaining their work to their families. This is in line with larger studies published by our workforce diversity programme partners <a href="https://www.fsg.org/initiatives-programs/growing-livelihood-opportunities-for-women/">FSG GLOW</a>, that show, while 1 in 2 women wish to work, 84% women need to secure family&#8217;s permission beforehand and most families prefer women don’t work at all.  During our pilot, a female packer and Master&#8217;s student in Delhi, who was uncomfortable telling her family she was also working, preferred to say she was going out to study. When the course she was enrolled in ended, she had to leave. 



To address this cultural reality, we’re ensuring that HR managers, management team and executives at warehouses include a mix of men and women. We believe women workers will find it easier to approach women managers for support and guidance, before they are forced to leave due to family pressure or other concerns.



Inclusion training for managers and workers beyond mandatory POSH training



While FSG’s research shows that women are willing to work in male-dominated environments, the on ground imbalance requires regular reinforcement of the fact that warehouses provide a safe and inclusive working environment where women’s voices are also respected. We are planning inclusion programmes, beyond mandatory training, at both manager and worker levels addressing common biases and behaviours that can come in the way of our objectives.&nbsp;



The way forward



The pilot has helped address key questions for us &#8211; the impact of having more women working in our facilities and the hard and soft infrastructure elements we need to invest in to facilitate their onboarding. The results show that women demonstrate the ability to perform many warehouse/store tasks at par or better than men. The key investments that need to be made &#8211; provisioning for and maintaining hygienic washroom facilities, providing transport for selected locations and inclusion training for managers can, potentially, be recovered over time.



We aim to reach a target of 20% women in our warehousing operations in 2024. We believe our commitment to get this agenda right, coupled with India’s vast pool of inspiring women, like Hina, will help us meet our goals, like many of our orders, before time.



We are committed to ensuring we have more women at the table, shaping the future of every business we are in today – online ordering, food and grocery deliveries, and ideating for those we will be in tomorrow.&nbsp;



Stay tuned for more diversity dialogues from Zomato.


<ol class="wp-block-footnotes"><li id="849c86ea-e1a0-45fd-a28a-051852666674">Data valid for complaints in April – May 2023 <a href="#849c86ea-e1a0-45fd-a28a-051852666674-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 1">↩︎</a></li><li id="1ec4fe67-68ef-4098-a4e1-bffd399fbeac">Data valid for 31st May 2023 – 6th August 2023. <a href="#1ec4fe67-68ef-4098-a4e1-bffd399fbeac-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 2">↩︎</a></li><li id="0ef84582-f685-495d-ad79-664ade62d30b">Data represents all workers who joined between 1st April 2023 and 15th May 2023. <a href="#0ef84582-f685-495d-ad79-664ade62d30b-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 3">↩︎</a></li><li id="e238ca55-262c-4c7b-93d7-b6041552709c">This includes assign to start time &#8211; billing time. <a href="#e238ca55-262c-4c7b-93d7-b6041552709c-link" aria-label="Jump to footnote reference 4">↩︎</a></li></ol>

The business benefits of having more women working in warehouses and dark stores

We are excited to launch the ‘Tips for the kitchen staff’ feature on our platform that now allows our customers to show appreciation for the food our restaurant partners prepare for them, every time they order. At Zomato, we understand that a lot of hard work, skill, and creativity goes behind preparing food, and we keep asking ourselves &#8211; how can we motivate not just the restaurants but also their kitchen staff to continue working their magic. And to motivate them, we have introduced ‘Tips for the kitchen staff’. With this feature, customers can tip the restaurant’s kitchen staff &#8211; the wonderful chefs, cleaning staff, helpers, etc. as a way of appreciation. This new feature will enrich the food ordering and delivery experience for both our restaurant partners and customers.&nbsp;



Building on the success of a 2018 initiative that allows customers to tip delivery partners, this is a similar initiative which is introduced based on inputs from Zomato’s restaurant partner network. The introduction of ‘Tips for the kitchen staff’ feature enables the customers to seamlessly express gratitude for their food deliveries, an option that was limited to traditional dining-in experience until now.



As a customer, what are the options I have to tip?



For a seamless customer experience, customers are asked if they would like to tip the restaurant’s kitchen staff after they have rated their order 4 or 5 stars. Customers also have the option to tip the restaurant kitchen staff from the live order tracking page after placing the order.&nbsp;



We recognize that the customers are used to paying a service charge in terms of % of their order value. Therefore, on the platform you will find the option to tip the kitchen staff in % ranging from 3% to 10% of your item value. However, if you do not want to select from one of the pre defined % slabs, you can also enter any amount of your choice up to a maximum cap.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignfull"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/LTsnm_Uhg36IVVJCU0WooEOd_N3aixGc0J_WUIVbqsrqK8ITINHTJ0BMiVMflLpvfvyicSsnXT45ITp2JiTP5gpW25Y6lM27Bzyi3UpvZfbIpZOdyvRN7JCCBr7rQWdWhb-my7jviSdtdUECTXFyFWI" alt=""/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image alignfull"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0k5MAc6rleG1eJetHQsRK-GhRZMBLB6HciXePb9ZArueWEhKwvakNkg42KNQJ6bta5H4WKSOxbV_3dyC_iFMrEPLBE8m_yX_W82yH0YzBd33bJ8MVPfVxghSqdrgBsUYNy7WrS4H4hfm9fUbGU8aDV8" alt=""/></figure>



How do the restaurants receive tips?



The entire tip amount that customers pay is credited to restaurants (after any tax deductions, if applicable) to be distributed among their staff. Zomato does not keep any commissions out of the tip amount and it is passed through 100%. Our restaurant partners can keep a track of tips in their weekly payouts and statement of account on the merchant app or web dashboard.



If you are from the restaurant management, we ask you to sign a pledge to distribute the entire amount among your staff, should you be keen to be included in the program! This feature is now live on our platform and we are truly looking forward to providing an elevated food ordering and delivery experience to both our customers and restaurant partners!&nbsp;



The team that made it all possible&nbsp;



We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the team that made it all possible in a small amount of time &#8211; Prateek from the design team and Ritick, Satyaprakash, Ishika, Rishabh, Devang, Saksham, Tanishq, Dilip. Special mention to Rana &#8211; our engineering rock star for seamlessly ensuring collaboration between multiple teams such as billing tech, merchant tech, consumer tech, iOS and Android to launch this update.



The next time you love something you order from your favorite restaurant, thank the team behind the scenes in a way that motivates them a lot. With a tip!

Introducing Tips For The Kitchen Staff: An Initiative that Celebrates Restaurants

We are excited to introduce Zomato AI, a groundbreaking innovation that is more than just a chatbot. This intelligent, intuitive, and interactive foodie has been meticulously designed to assist you in placing orders. It aligns with your momentarily unique food &amp; beverage preferences, dietary needs, and even your moods!



Let&#8217;s dive into how we built it!



Harnessing the Power of the Multiple Agent Framework



One of the most exciting features of Zomato AI is its multiple agent framework. This unique feature equips Zomato AI with a variety of prompts for different tasks, essentially giving it multiple superpowers, ready to serve you at any time.&nbsp;



Craving a specific dish? Zomato AI will present you with a widget, listing all the restaurants serving your desired dish. Unsure about what to order? No problem! Zomato AI can suggest a list of popular dishes or restaurants, taking the guesswork out of your meal selection.



One of the significant advancements we&#8217;ve made is the creation of numerous functions on Zomato that we are able to expose to our AI agents. This allows the AI agents to dynamically call for whatever data they need in order to best serve the customer query.&nbsp;



Our in-house developed technology seamlessly links together all these multiple prompts and functions, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted conversation with Zomato AI. This innovative feature is another effort to provide a seamless customer experience, making your interaction with Zomato AI as effortless as a chat with a good friend.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignfull size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="506" style='width:100%' src="https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Architecture-Diagram-Final-1.png?resize=640%2C506&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-13042" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Architecture-Diagram-Final-1.png?resize=1024%2C809&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Architecture-Diagram-Final-1.png?resize=300%2C237&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Architecture-Diagram-Final-1.png?resize=768%2C607&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Architecture-Diagram-Final-1.png?resize=1536%2C1214&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Architecture-Diagram-Final-1.png?resize=2048%2C1618&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Architecture-Diagram-Final-1.png?resize=1568%2C1239&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Architecture-Diagram-Final-1.png?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Architecture-Diagram-Final-1.png?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>







Experience Natural Texting



Zomato AI takes the user experience to a whole new level by offering a more natural style of texting, similar to how you text your friends. You can send multiple messages, and Zomato AI will respond back in almost real-time, faster than most of your friends. This unique feature sets Zomato AI apart from all the other AI products you might have used, which allow only one message at a time.



<figure class="wp-block-video" style='margin-left:0;margin-right:0'><video autoplay controls src="https://videos.files.wordpress.com/gJIGHglx/natural-text-final-1.mp4" style='max-width:100%'></video></figure>







Your Ultimate Foodie Friend



Zomato AI is designed to be your ultimate foodie companion. It&#8217;s equipped to answer tough questions like &#8220;What should I eat when I&#8217;m hungover?&#8221; or &#8220;Can I eat something that is high protein and low carb?&#8221; Zomato AI is focused on helping you find the perfect dish to order when you&#8217;re browsing Zomato with a rumbling stomach.



We are incredibly excited about Zomato AI and the potential it has to redefine ordering experiences. We believe it&#8217;s a game-changer in discovering the right food or beverage at the right time, and we eagerly await your experience with it. This feature is rolling out gradually to our Zomato Gold Members exclusively. So, prepare yourself to embark on a thrilling culinary journey with Zomato AI, your new foodie companion!



<figure class="wp-block-video" style='margin-left:0;margin-right:0'><video style='max-width:100%' autoplay controls src="https://videos.files.wordpress.com/HxwlgFou/widgets-final-1-1.mp4"></video></figure>



We want to extend our heartfelt appreciation to our devoted team members &#8211; Bhavna, Eshna, Anuj from the design team and Robin, Dilip, Chirag,  Mitharan, Sudhanshu, Vaibhav, Soumil, Sukanya, Akshit, Ankit, Sumit, Gaurav, Angad and Sakib. Their tireless efforts have made it possible to bring this product to life on the Zomato App. 



We can&#8217;t forget to give a special mention to our ML team for their quick and effective work on this project. Additionally, we want to recognize the extraordinary contributions of Yuvraj, who has played a pivotal role in developing our Generative AI Stack here at Zomato. His work on our internal LLM Orchestrator Service &#8211; Firefly, and Vector DB has been invaluable. His leadership on this project, along with Shreya, who has rapidly become one of our top prompt engineers along with her ML chops under the mentorship of Ram Singla, has been truly commendable.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignfull size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="364" style='width:100%' src="https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photos.png?resize=640%2C364&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-13043" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photos.png?resize=1024%2C582&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photos.png?resize=300%2C171&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photos.png?resize=768%2C437&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photos.png?resize=1536%2C873&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photos.png?resize=2048%2C1164&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photos.png?resize=1568%2C892&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photos.png?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/photos.png?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>



To try out this feature, make sure you have the latest version of the Zomato application and are a Zomato Gold member. We look forward to hearing your feedback on Zomato AI!

Introducing Zomato AI: Your Foodie Buddy

&#8220;What is the best location to open my next restaurant outlet?&#8221;&nbsp;



&#8220;What menu prices are optimal to stay competitive in a city?”



&#8220;What new dish should I add to my menu to cater to customer preferences?&#8221;



The above questions are common concerns raised by restaurant partners who aspire to achieve business growth. However, there is currently a lack of a centralized and dependable resource that can provide them with the necessary analytics and information to make evidence-based decisions in these crucial areas.



But today, we&#8217;re changing that!



We have introduced <a href="http://www.zomato.com/trends">Zomato Food Trends</a> &#8211; an initiative that sets the stage for an inclusive data-driven transformation in the restaurant industry.



What is Zomato Food Trends?



Data publication has been a tough knot to untangle in the past. However, we at Zomato are committed to reshaping this landscape, and Zomato Food Trends is our first step in that direction.



Zomato Food Trends is a data analysis platform, custom-made for the restaurant industry. Be it the location to launch new restaurants, setting optimal menu prices, or identifying trending cuisines and dishes, Zomato Food Trends can be leveraged by the restaurant partners to make informed decisions. It provides access to Zomato’s supply-demand trends across India, giving restaurants a data-driven lens into customer preferences and behavior.



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="571" data-id="12911" src="https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Z-trends-body-pic-1.png?resize=640%2C571&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-12911" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Z-trends-body-pic-1.png?resize=1024%2C913&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Z-trends-body-pic-1.png?resize=300%2C267&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Z-trends-body-pic-1.png?resize=768%2C684&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Z-trends-body-pic-1.png?w=1259&amp;ssl=1 1259w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">*image is illustrative and the data analysis on the dashboard may differ from the above image</figcaption></figure>
</figure>



A New Era of Open Data Analytics



The most exciting part? Zomato Food Trends is offered at absolutely no cost. Our aim is to democratize aggregated data insights &#8211; leveling the playing field, particularly for smaller restaurants, to ensure they can make informed and evidence-based decisions.



Zomato Food Trends is a platform that provides data analysis from millions of transactions across hundreds of cities in India. It aims to help restaurant partners optimize their strategies, attract more customers and drive more growth. It is not just a service, but a commitment towards the growth of the F&amp;B industry and its esteemed restaurant partners. So join us in this data-driven journey and share with us your experiences with Zomato Food Trends.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="618" src="https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/image-8.png?resize=640%2C618&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-12939" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/image-8.png?resize=1024%2C988&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/image-8.png?resize=300%2C289&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/image-8.png?resize=768%2C741&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/zomatoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/image-8.png?w=1191&amp;ssl=1 1191w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>



A big shout out to our product and tech teams that made this possible – Bharath Thulasidoss, Siddharth Khuttan, Tushar Mohan, Caliph, Anmol Arora, and Akash Samal.