Zomato to Provide Customer Data Access to Partner Restaurants

Online food delivery platform Zomato is in the early stages of launching a feature whereby customers' phone numbers will be shared with its restaurant partners after obtaining their consent, shared Aditya Mangla, CEO, Zomato in a Linkedin post on Thursday.

This move comes as a respond to the restaurant industry's long-standing demand.

“We at Zomato are in the early stages of launching a feature on the app which gives customers the option to opt-in to receive marketing and promotional updates directly from restaurants they order from thereafter. If and when consent is provided - only phone number will be shared with the restaurants. No other information will be shared,” he shared.

It also mentioned that once shared, this information cannot be withdrawn, and by consenting, the customer agrees to the T&C and Privacy Policy.

On the other hand, Bengaluru-based delivery platform Swiggy, too, is in discussions with the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) regarding the sharing of customer data, shared industry experts.

“Being part of ONDC, we do share customer data with our merchant partners, in line with industry protocols and customers' privacy standards,” mentioned Anshoo Sharma, CEO & Co-founder at magicpin, the third-largest food delivery player, told PTI.

This move comes against the backdrop of NRAI’s earlier complaint before the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against Zomato and Swiggy, where data masking and lack of transparency were among the key issues raised by restaurants. The association had argued that platforms withheld crucial customer information, limiting restaurants’ ability to understand and engage with their own patrons.