Zomato eyes a new 'District' with 3rd super brand

After building profitable businesses in food delivery and quick commerce, Zomato Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Deepinder Goyal is looking to get up his "third large business-toconsumer (B2C) business" through the newly announced "District" app, expected to be rolled out sometime in the coming weeks.

- ARYAMAN GUPTA

With the new vertical, Zomato is going after the largely unorganised live events and ticketing market.

"Zomato is building businesses that can operate independently of each other. This has the advantage that, should a particular vertical not bring in desired returns or hit the wall in terms of growth, Zomato will have other 'unaffected' businesses that can fuel growth," said an e-commerce investor.

In this regard, Zomato's strategy differs from that of its unlisted rival, Swiggy, which is trying to integrate all its offers under one "super app". Swiggy's approach allows the company to "cross-sell" its products across food delivery and quick commerce, which has been a challenge for Zomato, said the investor quoted above.

"Neither approach is right or wrong per se. It is more about which firm is executing better.

Zomato is showcasing its ability to execute well with its successful business verticals. The strategy is working well for them," he said.