Swiggy whips up treat for price-conscious and Gen Z foodies, launches '99 Store' with free delivery. Check details
The category aims to attract price-conscious users and high-frequency Gen Z consumers.
The recently added category in the Swiggy app allows a user to order a quick-prep meal for flat ₹ 99 without paying a delivery fee, the company said in a statement.
Earlier, users could only avail the option of free delivery if they order items above ₹ 199 with Swiggy One membership.
Under the 99 Store, users can now get free delivery for orders worth ₹ 99 via the 'eco saver' delivery mode, which groups multiple orders together to reduce trips.
This feature is currently available in more than 175 cities, including Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi, Pune, and Chennai, Lucknow, Vadodara, Trivandrum, Tirupati, Patna, Surat, Bhopal, Dehradun, Mysore and Ludhiana.
Through this feature, customers can explore dishes across a wide variety of cuisines at a low price.
The menu includes food items such as rolls, burgers, biryani, North Indian and South Indian food, pizzas, and cakes, ensuring that affordability doesn't come at the cost of choice or taste.
Speaking about the new initiative, Rohit Kapoor, CEO, Swiggy Food Marketplace, said, 'At ₹ 99, this isn't just a price point—it's a promise'.
'A promise that good food can be both affordable and accessible, especially for our younger customers,' he said.
The CEO further emphasised that the store is a way of making sure daily meals don't burn a hole in your wallet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Why India's music labels are eyeing regional catalogues
Tepid growth in paid subscriptions and increasing content creation costs are pushing music labels to step up consolidation efforts in the industry. Experts say this is a relatively easy way to expand libraries and improve market share. Entering newer realms brings an opportunity to collaborate with more artists, many of whom are well known in smaller, specific markets, improving their monetisation as well. Saregama's acquisition of NAV Records, a Haryanvi music catalogue, last month shows how players are looking at unlocking potential in newer languages. This June, Sony Music India announced a strategic joint venture with LA-based global entertainment firm The Hello Group (THG) to form THG India, designed to help Indian artists, particularly within the booming live music sector. Earlier, Warner Music India had formed partnerships with key regional players, including a majority stake in Divo, a South Indian music label, and a strategic alliance with Sky Digital, which specialises in Punjabi music. The company also acquired 26% of Global Music Junction, a dominant player in the Bhojpuri, Kannada, Gujarati, Haryanvi, and Oriya language markets and the music and entertainment subsidiary of JetSynthesys. Big companies like Saregama maintain 30-35% of all music releases in India, and partnering with regional labels can, in some cases, account for over 50% releases in the market for the specific language . 'These moves illustrate how regional strengths can be scaled through strategic partnerships. They have helped unlock value by streamlining rights and royalty systems, expanding digital distribution, and bringing under-leveraged catalogues into the streaming mainstream while maintaining their cultural identity," said Vivek Raina, managing director, Believe India, a global digital music company, that has acquired majority stake in south Indian label Think Music, Ishtar (formerly Venus Music) in the Hindi catalogue space, and the catalogue of White Hill Music. According to a recent Ficci EY media and entertainment report, the Indian music industry's revenue declined by 2% to reach ₹5,300 crore in 2024. The industry recorded 12 million paid streamers and 192 million free streamers in the year. The right tune Consolidation can act as a strong accelerator, especially for regional or mid-sized players that have valuable IP and deep local roots but limited access to infrastructure, global platforms, or capital, Raina added. Entertainment industry experts emphasize that organic growth for music players includes expanding artist rosters, creating original content, leveraging social media trends, optimizing playlists, and deepening audience engagement through live events or fan communities. Inorganic growth comes via acquisitions, mergers, catalogue licensing deals, and strategic partnerships with brands, streaming platforms, or tech companies. Organic methods build long-term brand equity and loyal audiences, while inorganic moves offer rapid scale, larger catalogues, and immediate market share gains. Both can be highly complementary — organic growth sustains creativity and authenticity, while inorganic strategies accelerate reach and revenue, enabling music labels and platforms to stay competitive in a fast-evolving industry. A senior executive at a leading label pointed out that as monetization from paid subscriptions plateaus and content costs continue to rise, few companies can afford to keep producing content on their own. Music labels such as T-Series, Sony Music, and Saregama, among others, have seen film soundtrack acquisition costs spike five to eightfold since the pandemic. Meanwhile, audio streaming platforms have lowered their pay rates (the amount paid per stream for a song) by about half over the past few months, as audience preferences shift away from music to other genres of entertainment, such as stand-up comedy and podcasts on YouTube. 'Capital expenditure goes up with rising content costs, and there is no way anyone can make more content on their own. This (acquisitions or joint ventures), on the other hand, is a one-time investment that allows you a stronger footprint in the market without having to create from scratch," the person said, adding that it automatically allows for better commercial terms from audio streaming platforms that music labels sell rights to. Such catalogue partnerships make sense for smaller labels which are heavily dependent on streaming and YouTube revenue and are unlikely to operate at scale, according to Mandar Thakur, CEO of Times Music. 'The former has dried up and the latter has begun to focus on long-form content. As long as you have a catalogue, you should make something out of it or the current wave of capital could go down," Thakur added. Consolidation in India's music industry could help smaller and national players by pooling resources, expanding catalogues, and increasing bargaining power with platforms, brands, and advertisers, said Gaurav Dagaonkar, co-founder and CEO of Hoopr, a music licensing platform. 'It can enable shared marketing, technology adoption, and data-driven strategies that might otherwise be costly for individual players. A unified catalogue offers better licensing opportunities, attracts larger deals, and improves discoverability for diverse music," Dagaonkar said. For artists, it can mean wider reach and fairer monetisation. That said, the trend can also have a downside. Bigger players entering regional markets can lead to monopolistic scenarios, inflating costs in the short term as they pay relatively higher sums to artists and then suddenly leading to correction. While challenges like maintaining creative diversity remain, strategic consolidation could be a viable path forward, fostering competitiveness, scalability, and sustainable growth in an increasingly globalised and digital-first music ecosystem, Dagaonkar added.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
GEN Z SPEAKS IN EMOJIS AND STARES
For Mumbai-based Gen Z professional Sanjana Despande, using smiling emojis and occasionally stickers in work chats feels like a natural form of communication. She says, 'The 'raising hands' emoji is my favourite for celebrating wins or reacting to messages. It always works.' Working in a fully remote setup where communication is entirely text-based, she finds emojis essential to convey tone and emotion. 'They help add context that words alone can't,' she explains. A recent survey supports this trend, revealing that 88% of Gen Z believe emojis enhance communication by signalling tone, urgency, and meaning. In contrast, Gen X and Boomers use emojis far less and often see them as unprofessional in workplace settings, highlighting a clear generational divide in digital communication styles. What is 'digital body language' Gen Z views emojis as part of a digital version of body language, similar to facial expressions, tone of voice, and punctuation. These small details help avoid misunderstandings, especially when working remotely. It's not just about what is said, but how, through punctuation, speed of reply, tone, and emojis. Gen Z uses all these signs to read someone's mood or urgency when they can't see them face-to-face. Older generations, however, tend to take messages more literally and often miss these emotional cues. Despande observes that older people tend to make emails sound mechanical, often stripped of punctuation, save for the occasional comma or full stop. 'Exclamation marks or emojis rarely make an appearance, and even when they do, they're usually out of context,' she says. - 88% of Gen Z workers say using emojis makes workplace communication better - Gen Z is 2.5X more likely than older colleagues to feel motivated by emoji reactions - 61% of Gen Z are more likely to read messages if they include emojis Emojis help with tone, but use them with care Experts say emojis can help humanise digital work communication. 'In fast-paced, mostly virtual workplaces, where face-to-face interaction is rare, emojis can soften tone, reduce misunderstandings, and add warmth. Even a simple 🙂 or 👍 can make messages feel friendlier and less abrupt,' says psychotherapist Ami Patel. However, she warns that overusing emojis or being too casual with them may blur professional boundaries, especially across seniority levels. 'This matters more in intergenerational settings. Many older professionals, especially those from more traditional work cultures, view formality as a sign of respect, which includes tone and clarity in writing. A message filled with emojis might seem too casual or careless to them, even if that wasn't the sender's intent,' she explains. NO WORDS, JUST THE 'GEN Z STARE' Apart from using emojis, another new trend among Gen Z that's getting attention online and at work is the 'Gen Z stare'. It's a long, blank, expressionless look that they give in different social situations. This stare often comes as a response to a simple hello or a question at work, which leaves older colleagues confused. Many people have found themselves on the receiving end of a blank stare while interacting with Gen Z — a behaviour that has recently sparked widespread discussion online. Posting about the phenomenon, a Reddit user who had just come across the term 'Gen Z stare' writes, 'I've seen this happening for a while but never realised there was a term for it until now. I'm almost glad this is a universal experience and not just me?' Another Reddit user shares that he witnesses this stare almost everywhere. He writes, 'I've been experiencing this everywhere — from cashiers, waiters, even random encounters. I'm honestly so over it. The awkward energy makes every interaction uncomfortable.' M eanwhile, another user attributes it to a lack of social skills. He writes, 'Gen Z has a greater deficit in social skills because they were on lockdown at a key moment in their development and are otherwise glued to their phones.' Speaking about the trend, Navya Chaudhary, a Delhi-based influencer, says, 'Millennials have made the 'Gen Z stare' a big thing. But really, it's just the face we make when someone asks something shocking.' According to news reports, this is part of a wider pattern of generational habits, like the 'millennial pause' or baby boomers ending their texts like formal letters. - A research study suggests that neutral or blank expressions can act as emotional shields, helping people manage their feelings in awkward social situations. - Another study highlights a shift from showing a perfect image online to being more real—or slightly disenchanted. - Among Gen Z, the neutral stare has become a cultural sign—showing ironic detachment and self-awareness, rather than boredom or lack of interest. THE COMMUNICATION SHIFT - Digital upbringing: Gen Z joined the workforce during or after the pandemic, when digital tools were widely used. So, using emojis became a natural part of how they communicate - Changing workplace: With more remote work and online communication, it's harder to show tone. Emojis help younger workers express themselves more clearly - Cultural change: Gen Z now comprises 25% of India's workforce, and this is expected to increase to 47% by 2035. As their numbers rise, their emoji-friendly way of talking is shaping how people communicate at work Different generations see professionalism through different lenses. For some, emojis feel too casual; for others, they bring warmth. Communication isn't one-size-fits-all—it's relational. The most effective people adapt to context and audience Ami Patel, psychotherapist Emojis at work make messages sweeter. 'Kind regards' feels low-key sarcastic. 'Kind regards🎀' — that's pure munchkin-coded Navya Chaudhary, a Gen Z influencer
News18
10 hours ago
- News18
Nykaas parent firm posts 79% jump in profit to Rs 24 cr in June qtr
Last Updated: New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) FSN E-Commerce, the parent company of fashion and beauty retailer Nykaa, on Tuesday reported a 79 per cent year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 24.47 crore for the three months ended June 2025. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 13.64 crore in the corresponding period of the previous financial year. Total income rose to Rs 2,164.27 crore in the quarter under review, compared with Rs 1,753.44 crore in the April-June quarter of FY25, Nykaa said in a regulatory filing. The growth was driven largely by its beauty vertical, which registered a nearly 24 per cent increase in revenues to Rs 1,975 crore in the quarter under review from Rs 1,594 crore a year earlier. The fashion segment posted a 15 per cent increase in sales to Rs 171 crore from Rs 149 crore in the same period last year. 'This quarter's performance underscores Nykaa's ability to consistently balance growth and profitability across both our beauty and fashion businesses," Falguni Nayar, Executive Chairperson, Founder and CEO Nykaa, said. The company's Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) for the quarter grew 26 per cent year-on-year to Rs 4,182 crore supported by accelerated premiumization and deeper market penetration, she added. According to the company, the beauty segment's growth was supported by a young and informed shopper base, especially Gen Z and millennial consumers, who are purchasing more wellness products and services than older generations. Other factors included greater accessibility through digital marketplaces, direct-to-consumer platforms and e-commerce, as well as changing lifestyle choices, with more consumers adopting nutraceuticals as a preventive measure alongside traditional treatments. Also, Nykaa said its board approved the acquisition of the remaining 40 per cent stake in Nudge Wellness for Rs 14.26 lakh, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. Currently, Onesto Labs holds 40 per cent of Nudge and it will cease to hold any stake in Nudge upon closing of the transaction. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Shares of Nykaa settled 0.66 per cent higher at Rs 204.95 apiece on the BSE. PTI SP MR view comments First Published: August 12, 2025, 22:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
