Food Inc eyes quicker commerce on match day 

Quick commerce and food delivery platforms, restaurants and consumer brands are gearing up for a surge in orders as India takes on South Africa in the T20 World Cup final on Saturday.

As the national men’s cricket team aims to end the drought for an ICC trophy, bars and restaurants that plan to screen the match for fans back home expect to host a full-house and also cater to an increase of 20% to 50% in their online sales.

“Events like these often see a joint viewership, and that leads to a surge in large orders with different components as various members have different preferences,” said Sagar Kochhar, cofounder of cloud kitchen startup Rebel Foods, which runs popular brands like Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story, and Wendy’s India.

Also expecting a sharp spike in sales of between 30%-50% are the D2C snack brands, many of which have become available on delivery platforms.

Food delivery and quick commerce major, Swiggy expects a “significant surge in orders, especially during the dinner peak when key overs of the match will be played”, with orders expected to start surging up as early as 5pm,” according to company executives who expect top items for match-day viewing to be pizzas, burgers, biryanis, munchies, and cold beverages.

A spokesperson for Zomato declined to comment.

Discounts, Marketing Campaigns

Sales could also see a surge if India performs well or wins the game, founders and restaurant owners said. Burger maker Jumbo King is expecting an increase of at least 20% in sales on Saturday but could see better sales in case India wins, managing director Dheeraj Gupta said. “By the time you are through with the first innings, you will get a sense of how the balance is going to be,” he added.

Beverages chain Boba Bhai will keep its stores open all night in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai in anticipation of celebratory sales, founder Dhruv Kohli said.

There will also be discounts and marketing campaigns on food and beverages, with Boba Bhai running offers like ‘buy one get one free’ on Zomato. QSR chain Rebel Foods will send free dahi-shakkar (curd and sugar)- associated in India with celebrations- with all orders made on its own platform, Eatsure.

Physical restaurants are also expecting to be filled, especially those screening the match, said Vishwa, managing director of Doff Pub in Bengaluru. Ashish Jami, marketing head at Groot Restobar in Bengaluru said he expects sales to be double of business-as-usual (BAU) sales, while footfall might also increase at a similar clip.

Kohli says he expects his outlets placed in shopping malls- which make up about 30%-40% of his total outlets- may see around 50% jump in sales as malls will likely be screening the matches in large screens, drawing crowds.

Quick commerce Surge

“India vs Pakistan match has been a milestone for Swiggy Instamart this T20 World Cup season and we expect a similar surge if not higher during the finals,” a spokesperson for Swiggy Instamart said, adding that categories like snacks, popcorn, frozen food and energy drinks are expected to see surges. “For the finals, Swiggy Instamart has already seen a spike in orders for items like the Indian jersey and is restocking these to meet the high demand,” she said.

Sporting events and festivals usually are record sale days for quick commerce platforms, often setting higher business as usual (BAU) levels for them.

Snacks brand Adukale expects sales to be about 30-35% higher compared to BAU sales, with larger combination and family packs expected to sell higher than BAU days, chief executive Bharat Kaushik said.

However, the outcome and conditions of the match could also impact sales. “We saw a 2-3x jump in sales during the India-Pakistan match, but the sales weren’t as high for the semi-finals yesterday as the viewing was fractured by rain-led delays… we’re expecting a jump in sales tomorrow but rains and the result will be a factor,” Nalini Parthiban, cofounder of snacks firm Sweet Karam Coffee said.