The total bill for offline orders stood at ₹512, including CGST and SGST. On the other hand, Zomato's bill was ₹689.90 (after applying a discount of ₹75).
The LinkedIn user noticed that Zomto charged 34.76% more ( ₹178) in that order.
Kabra wrote, "I think there is a need to cap this cost escalation which should be implemented by the government so as to make this a win-win for all stakeholders".
He added, "Customer acquisition cost is what all start-ups are struggling with. Retention is the key to enhancing customer lifetime value. Zomato is always on top of my mind due to its constant omni channel advertising! But I must say me being a normal value-driven Indian customer, at the end of the day will always make a price to benefit comparative analysis as an end result of any higher pricing".
The post has gone viral and has received more than 7,600 reactions and almost 1,000 comments.
Different LinkedIn users shared their experiences that how food aggregators have such high price differences. One user wrote his experience with Swiggy. A user named Nikesh Jain said, "Swiggy showed price as 120 plus delivery charges. I was going towards the restaurant so I decided to just pick it up from the restaurant. To my surprise, the same thaali was available for 99 Rs. I would have paid around 140 Rs. to Swiggy for the same food which was 40% more. I think the aggregation business needs some serious strategic re-planning. I honestly don't blame them because they have to make revenue and become profitable but these tactics, I am afraid will only backfire".
Another user wrote, "Zomato does not fix the LP. Restaurants do. And they charge higher prices because Zomato takes 25% commission from them".
"Since Zomato is listed the charges on items have gone up as the same items cost 30-40% more and we let it go just for the sake of saving time. So if your time, cost of going for pick up ( Cost of Gas has gone up substantially) at a restaurant apart from hassles value less than the extra cost you are playing then it makes sense NOT to use these apps," a user wrote.
