Affected by a sudden backlash over its ‘Pure Veg Mode’ service, Zomato has finally shelved its decision to launch green uniforms for veg food delivery agents as opposed to the conventional red Zomato uniform.
India’s first in food-delivery unicorn, Zomato launched a brand new initiative of providing ‘Pure Veg Mode’ service for 100% vegetarian customers. Sharing this wonderful initiative, Zomato chief executive Deepinder Goyal wrote on microblogging platform X: “Pure Veg Mode will consist of curation of restaurants that serve only pure vegetarian food and will exclude all restaurants which serve any non-veg food item.”
However, any new thing faces both acceptance and rejection. That's an eternal truth. That's what happened to Zomato on social media. In this article, we will explore about public sentiments on social media and it's consequences.
Zomato announced a solely dedicated fleet to exclusively serve orders for vegetarian customers from ‘pure veg’ restaurants. They further mentioned that these ‘pure veg’ deliveries will be done in distinctive green boxes with delivery partner coming in green uniform.
However, this led to a massive social media backlash regarding discrimination.
Many users stormed into social media to criticise this initiative by Zomato. They argued it would perpetuate caste segregation. While some others told that they might have to face landlord’s issues as people will easily differentiate people's food preferences.
Some people mentioned “colour-coded uniforms could lead to trouble for delivery persons and even customers.” The president of Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers, Shaik Salauddin raised concerns over the move, asking “How the company would address safety and dignity of delivery workers?”
While some others praised the initiative as “Mind-blowing” and “Revolutionary”.
These platforms can provide users a tailored worldview of pre-existing beliefs through targeted advertisements and algorithmic personalization. It can also lead to some emotionally charged content, which can stir emotions. That's what happened with the recent Zomato incident.
After clarifying Zomato’s views, later, Goyal tweeted: “We now realise that even some of our customers could get into trouble with their landlords, and that would not be a nice thing if that happened because of us. While we are going to continue to have a fleet for vegetarians, we have decided to remove the on-ground segregation of this fleet on the ground using the colour green. All our riders — both our regular fleet, and our fleet for vegetarians, will wear the colour red. Our riders' physical safety is of paramount importance to us.”
Social media platforms, gradually have become potent channels for shaping public opinion regarding anything. It has both brighter and darker implications.
We are the consumers of digital information. Thus, it is mandatory to cultivate emotional intelligence allowing us to take a break and critically analyse the issue or information. We are living in a highly polarized and complex information regime, where emotionally charged news may lead to serious consequences.
The Zomato CEO also thanked social media users saying, “All the love, and all the brickbats were all so useful - and helped us get to this optimal point. We are always listening, without unnecessary ego, or pride. We look forward to continue serving you.”
Even after the backlash regarding food delivery dress code, the shares of Zomato gained over 1 per cent on Wednesday.
