Abstract

This case is about the planned launch of a ‘pure veg’ service by Zomato Ltd. (Zomato), a food delivery company in India. Responding to feedback to a survey it had conducted, the company planned to introduce a ‘pure veg’ service for its vegetarian customers and a green dress code for the delivery partners associated with the service. The proposed launch of the ‘pure veg’ service provoked a backlash on social media. In response to the criticism, Deepinder Goyal (Goyal), CEO of Zomato, announced that Zomato was withdrawing the proposed launch of the ‘pure veg’ service though a ‘veg only’ service would continue. The green dress code too was withdrawn. The case discusses in detail the negative response to the proposed ‘pure veg’ service from social media users, food bloggers, human rights activists, and market analysts. Did Zomato make the right decision in deciding to launch a ’pure veg’ service?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Analyze the impact of social media on a company’s service launch
• Examine the ethical and culturally sensitive issues to be considered before launching a product or service.

Keywords

Deepinder Goyal; Zomato; Food Delivery app; Pure Veg Service; Social Media; Marketing Ethics; Service Launch