Swiggy launches Toing app for affordable food ordering in Pune

Toing, the seventh app from the house of Swiggy, is in addition to ₹99 Store and Snacc apps that offer affordable food options in different categories.

Swiggy has launched a new app for affordable food ordering, as its rivalry with the likes of Zepto Cafe and Rapido’s Ownly hots up.

Toing is the first app that Swiggy is testing outside its home turf of Bengaluru.(Reuters)

Called Toing, the standalone app is currently live only in certain locations of Pune, including Kothrud, Hinjewadi, Wakad, Aundh, and Pimple Saudagar, people aware of the matter told Hindustan Times.

The price of a typical order ranges from ₹100-150.

“It’s basically about ‘affordability first’,” one of the people cited above said on the condition of anonymity citing the yet confidential nature of the information. “It doesn’t include snacks, but think of it as one-person meals that can be had at a desk—mini meals, burgers, sandwiches, cakes and desserts.”

This is the first time Swiggy is testing a new app outside its home turf of Bengaluru. “Pune, because it’s a hub of students and young professionals, who may have lower disposable incomes,” the person cited above said. “Bengaluru is now a fairly well-penetrated market, hence the idea to launch in Pune first”, but there are “no immediate plans to scale”.

The welcome page of the Swiggy Toing app. (HT)

Swiggy’s Toing will list restaurants that have offerings in the ₹100-150 range. The idea is similar to the ₹99 Store on the main app, but Toing will eventually spin off into a standalone app—a la Instamart. There won’t be a clash with Snacc either, Swiggy’s another standalone app for “canteen-like” offerings in 10 minutes. Toing will have proper, but small, meals.

Also, for a change, the app does away with the Swiggy/Instamart Orange for a green and pink colour scheme to appeal to the younger audience it wants to cater to.

Rapido’s Ownly, Zepto Cafe

Toing, albeit in Pune only for now, is in direct rivalry to Zepto Cafe, which offers sandwiches to cold coffees and single-serving meals at the workplace. But Toing sources its offerings from actual restaurants and not cloud kitchens—as is the case with Zepto Cafe.

But what about Ownly, operated by Rapido where Swiggy has a stake?

The move to launch Toing comes soon after Moneycontrol reported that Swiggy will sell its entire stake in Rapido for as much as ₹2,500 crore. “Many of the new offerings (from Swiggy) will be towards ensuring that the competition does not get a clear opening,” Sriharsha Majety, co-founder and chief executive at Swiggy, had said at the company’s latest earnings call.

On Monday, Swiggy shares rose 1.13% to ₹424.80 apiece on the BSE even as the benchmark Sensex ended the day 0.15% lower at 81,785.74 points.