HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Swiggy, India’s pioneering on-demand convenience platform, has announced the launch of ‘Smart Links’, an innovative tool, designed to empower restaurants of all sizes to enhance their online presence and drive growth.
Transforming Social Media Engagement into Business
The Indian F&B industry is vibrant and thriving but extremely competitive. The restaurant industry typically spends anywhere between 3% to 6% of its revenue on advertising, including online platforms like Meta (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp), Google, and traditional media such as TV, print, and radio.
While advertising on online platforms is a great channel to reach consumers, it is not always easy to track its impact on their business. Despite having a social media presence across various platforms, many restaurants struggle to translate engagement into actual business. To address this need, Swiggy has launched Smart Links- free, customized links that restaurants can share on their social media profiles on platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook to direct customers straight to their menu page on Swiggy.
This personalized approach enables restaurants to drive orders through their online presence while engaging with a broader audience. For customers on the other hand, it is a one-click experience to order from restaurants they have discovered online or on social media platforms.
The power of Smart Links also lies in the insights they offer into customer behavior. A key challenge for restaurants is assessing a customer’s actions after clicking on an ad, such as whether they have placed an order, what they have ordered, and when. Smart Links gives an insight into this, including whether the customer is a new user.
By enabling this tracking, Smart Links help restaurant partners assess the performance of their social media campaigns more effectively. This data allows them to optimize future campaigns, ultimately leading to more efficient and successful marketing strategies.
Smart Links has proven to be a powerful tool for gaining new users, with almost 60% of all Smart Links orders for a restaurant coming from new consumers. Since its inception, Smart Links has driven over 4 million menu sessions, covering 35,000 restaurant partners. Brands running Smart Links have seen ~25% of their menu sessions. In fact, during campaign days, brands using Smart Links have seen upwards of 80% of menu visits, leading to disproportionate gains in building brand visibility.
Krishanu Roy, 7th Heaven, Patna, Bihar, expressed her excitement on the new offering, “Swiggy has been an invaluable ally for us, consistently unveiling innovations that empower businesses like ours. Smart Links is a game-changer. We have been allocating a substantial budget to social media ads, but Smart Links has transformed that expenditure into tangible business outcomes. It’s a real value-add for restaurants like ours.”
Swiggy is committed to empowering small and upcoming restaurants, providing them with the tools they need to thrive in a competitive market. Smart Links are a key part of this support, offering these establishments a way to enhance their online presence and reach a wider audience. For these brands, Smart Links offer a way to build relevance and break through the clutter. On average, newly launched brands using Smart Links as a marketing tool have seen a 120% increase in menu visits compared to others. Additionally, they are twice as likely to receive a rating within the first 15 days of operation when using Smartlinks.
One such success story is La Milano, a Swiggy restaurant partner, which saw 13% Menu visits coming in via Smartlinks& a 10% jump in revenue on the campaign days after incorporating Smart Links on social channels as part of their marketing strategies.
Commenting on Smart Links, Deepak Maloo, AVP – Supply, Swiggy stated, “Social media is a great boon and an unmissable part of any business’ marketing strategy. But many restaurants, especially the smaller brands struggle to see the social media excitement translate to business without the right tools. Smart Links, which Swiggy is customizing for free for all restaurant partners, will be a game-changer by giving restaurants the power to easily access and customize these links. This allows them to measure individual channel performance and compare all in the owner app, thereby promoting themselves effectively, driving actual orders, and gaining a better understanding of their customers as well as spend on online platforms and social media”.
Restaurant partners can access Smart Links through the Swiggy Owner app to enhance their online presence and drive growth. Swiggy is redefining restaurant marketing with Smart Links, offering partners a tool to expand their reach, engage customers, and drive growth in the digital marketplace.
In addition, Swiggy is offering an interesting cashback offer for restaurant partners in April and May 2024. This offer presents a valuable opportunity for restaurants to increase customer orders through social media while enjoying savings on their orders.
