India-based food delivery platform Swiggy has launched a new feature, Pockethero, for value-conscious consumers.

The company aims to make online food ordering more accessible and economical for budget-conscious consumers.

Swiggy vice-president and National Business head Sidharth Bhakoo said: “Pockethero aims to make food delivery accessible to a set of users who today may find online food delivery less value for money.

“True to its name, Pockethero delivers the best of discounts from our partner restaurants and gives free delivery on top of it to give our customers a taste of convenience without having to think much about their pockets.

“As a company, we keep innovating on behalf of our customers, and this is one [...] initiative that is being piloted by our teams.”

The food delivery platform announced that every order placed under the new plan will receive free delivery and assured savings.

Pockethero is available in Delhi-NCR, Jaipur, Lucknow and Chandigarh.

The company plans to launch it in more Indian cities, including Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

Swiggy stated: “Swiggy remains committed to fostering a mutually beneficial scenario for users and restaurant partners, reinforcing its dedication to enhancing the overall food delivery experience.

“Participating restaurants enjoy enhanced visibility as it becomes a go-to solution for users who find online food delivery expensive due to budget constraints. 

In October 2023, Swiggy raised its platform fee on food delivery orders by 50% from Rs2 ($0.024) to Rs3 ($0.036), the Economic Times (ET) reported.

The new tariff rate was initially implemented in the southern Indian cities of Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

With such hikes, the food delivery platforms aim to improve their unit economics by increasing the take rate, or money they make on every order.