India’s food delivery sector reported stronger growth in the October–December quarter as leading platforms Swiggy, Zomato, and magicpin recorded higher order volumes driven by festive demand, affordability-focused offerings, and expansion of their user bases.
Industry executives said the sector experienced improved performance during the quarter following a phase of slower expansion earlier in the year. The increase in orders was supported by promotional pricing strategies, product enhancements, and continued marketing investments by the platforms.
Executives from the companies indicated that the positive momentum is expected to continue over the coming quarters as food delivery platforms continue to invest in customer acquisition, platform improvements, and value-driven offerings.
Anshoo Sharma, Founder and CEO of magicpin, said, “It has been a phenomenal October-November-December quarter for us, marked by strong growth and sharper execution across markets. Our unit economics at an order level have improved by over 60%, reflecting greater efficiency and improved monetisation.”
The company reported stable performance in established markets such as Delhi-NCR while seeing stronger growth in other major urban centres. Cities including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai recorded more than 40 percent growth in gross order value during the quarter.
According to the company, affordability-driven consumption patterns are playing a key role in driving growth, with the average order value ranging between Rs 150 and Rs 300, encouraging frequent purchases among users.
In its Q3 FY26 shareholder update, Swiggy reported that its gross order value (GOV) increased 20.5 percent year-on-year to Rs 8,959 crore. The company described the growth as its fastest expansion in the past three years.
Swiggy said the performance was supported by higher adoption of its service propositions focused on delivery speed, broader restaurant selection, and affordability. The company’s average monthly transacting users grew 22 percent year-on-year to 24.3 million in the quarter, compared with 17.8 million during the same period last year. Total orders on the platform increased to 294 million from 234 million during the period.
Food delivery platform Zomato also reported improved performance during the quarter. The company recorded a 16.6 percent year-on-year increase in net order value (NOV), reaching Rs 9,846 crore in the December quarter, which translated into a 21.3 percent increase in gross order value.
The growth marked an improvement compared to the 13.8 percent increase recorded in the September quarter. Zomato’s average monthly transacting users rose 21 percent year-on-year to 24.9 million during the December quarter, indicating increased consumer engagement on the platform.
Industry executives said a growing share of demand is now coming from smaller cities, where affordability-driven offerings are attracting consumers in tier-II and tier-III markets. This shift is contributing to overall order growth and expanding the reach of food delivery platforms beyond large metropolitan areas.
