Swiggy Piloting Student Rewards Initiative In 200+ Cities

Foodtech major Swiggy has said that it is piloting a student rewards programme in more than 200 cities across India. 

In a statement, the company said that the offering is currently operational in nearly 2,000 campuses, spanning cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Dehradun and Rajkot. Swiggy plans to expand the programme to more than 4,500 colleges across the country by July 2025. 

Under the initiative, students, with their verified college email addresses, can avail memberships for Swiggy One and One Lite at discounted rates and discounts on dining out, among others. 

“Students can avail three months subscription of Swiggy One and One Lite at discounted rates for free deliveries and extra discounts. They can also get flat INR 200 off on food delivery orders above INR 699/ INR 799/ INR 899 – perfect for those group meals and weekend hangouts,” the company said in a statement. 

The company said that the programme has been “built” for students between the ages of 18 and 25 years and serves both hostel residents and day-boarders. “The benefits can be availed even while students are at home or on their internships, in a city different from the campus location,” added the company. 

“… We understand that for a large number of youngsters living away from home, whether in big cities or smaller college towns, food is often their closest connection to comfort, routine, and home. Swiggy’s new offering is especially designed to cater to students and unlocks specially curated, exclusive perks and access to incredible offers instantly,” said vice president of Swiggy’s food marketplace business Deepak Maloo. 

With this new initiative, Swiggy could be looking at tapping into college-going students to bolster its membership metrics, increase the stickiness of its food delivery platform and bolster its revenues. 

This came on the same day as Swiggy, following rival Zomato’s suit, shelved the rain fee waiver for its One members. Before this, both platforms waived off weather-related surcharges for premium users as part of their loyalty benefits. 

Bid To Jumpstart Food Delivery?

This comes at a time when the broader food delivery ecosystem has been witnessing a slowdown with both Zomato and Swiggy witnessing slowing growth in numbers and other operational metrics. 

In the fourth quarter (Q4) of the fiscal year 2024-25 (FY25), Swiggy’s revenue from food deliveries, albeit growing 18% YoY, declined by 0.5% sequentially to INR 1,629.3 Cr from INR 1,636.9 Cr in the quarter ended December 2024. 

Last month, brokerage firm BofA Securities had downgraded the ratings of both Zomato and Swiggy citing concerns over their future growth prospects and the increasing competitive pressure in the food delivery industry. 

Following the Q4 results, Swiggy cofounder Sriharsha Majety had said that sustained growth in the “relatively mature” ecosystem henceforth would be led by innovation towards bringing new consumers into the ecosystem. By targeting college students, the Bengaluru-based listed startup seems to be doing exactly that. 

Nevertheless, Swiggy continues to hedge its bets by rapidly scaling up quick food deliveries. Earlier this month, the company expanded its 10-minute food delivery service Bolt to more than 500 cities across India.