You know what is really weird? It is when you start to feel hungry in the afternoon, and then your phone beeps with a deal on food. And this tends to happen at the most perfect time, like when it is almost dinner time, you get a message that says, “Hey, what are you going to eat for dinner tonight?” It is not like someone’s watching you or anything. It is behavioural data science in action! Indian food delivery companies like Swiggy and Zomato look at what millions of people do, then send them messages based on the data about meals that feel like they know exactly what you want.
When you are looking at your phone, these apps are not just sending you messages for no reason. They are looking at things, like when you usually order food, what kind of food you like, where you’re right now and even what time of day you normally do things. The main thing these apps want to do is get you to use them more, make you want to order food, and make you feel like they are a friend who is helping you out. Simply put, to increase their engagement and ordering is their goal.
Why Push Notifications Matter
Before we start talking about how push notifications work, it is helpful to understand why push notifications are so important. These notifications, which are the messages that pop up on your phone, are super powerful. A well-timed notification that is also relevant to the customer can significantly increase user engagement compared to generic notifications (MoEngage report on push strategy, 2025).
Studies have shown that mobile notifications really work when they are about something that matters to the person getting them, and they come at a time that has personal relevance to them. When this happens, people are more likely to open the app and do what they need to do. This could be anything, like checking a tip about being healthy, reading what is going on in the world or even ordering food from an app (Krebs et al. study, notifications engagement research). If these apps can get your attention at the moment, like when you are thinking about getting something to eat, then that is what makes someone go from just looking at the app to actually buying food from it. Food delivery apps do this to be successful.
Behavioural Data: The Secret Sauce Behind the Timing
What is behavioural data? Behavioural data is nothing but a record of what you do when you’re on an app. For example, behavioural data is information about how you interact with an app. Like: “I usually get food in the evening. Ordering food in the morning is not something I do often, but sometimes I will order breakfast from a restaurant if I am in a hurry. The evening is my time of day to order food. When it comes to dishes, I prefer pizza and noodles. Sometimes I like to eat food too, like curries and tandoori chicken.” Swiggy and Zomato collect information about what you do on their platforms.
They look at what you do, over time, to understand when you might want something and what you might want. Swiggy and Zomato use this information to decide when to send you messages and what to say in those messages. This use of historical behaviour and predictive insight is one way these apps make notifications feel personal. Rather than saying “Order now!” to everyone, they often tailor messaging so it feels just right for you.
Read More: How Convenience Shapes Consumer Expectations and Worker Stress
Personalisation Through AI and Machine Learning
These apps have to deal with a lot of people, millions of users. To make notifications personal for each user, companies use intelligence and machine learning models. These models look at sets of data about how users behave. The companies use intelligence and machine learning models to do this. Zomato is an example of this. They use intelligence tools to give people suggestions about restaurants and food.
This is according to a report from the Times of India about how Zomato uses intelligence. This type of personalisation that uses artificial intelligence is like the plans used by mobile apps. These plans send messages at the time, and the messages are about things that really matter to the person getting them. This works a lot better than sending the same message to everyone. It is like what people who study mobile push notifications have found out. Artificial Intelligence personalisation and mobile app plans like this one really get people to pay attention.
The Behavioural Insights Behind Notification Success
Here is how behavioural data helps these platforms make meal reminders that actually work:
1. Historical Order Patterns
When apps look at what you have ordered, they can remind you about the things you like to eat at the time you usually have meals. For example, if you order biryani a lot on Friday nights, apps will probably send you a reminder about biryani around 7:30 PM on Fridays. This is because apps know you like biryani. You usually eat it on Fridays.
2. Cart Abandonment Triggers
When you put things in your shopping cart but do not finish buying them, you get a reminder to complete your order. This reminder is like a push to help you finish what you started. Sometimes this little push is all you need to buy the things you put in your cart. The shopping cart reminder helps you remember to finish your purchase.
3. Contextual Signals
Sometimes these apps take into consideration the social activities going on around the individual; they show messages when the conditions are right for people to be more likely to place an order. Like certain festivals, events, or other shows that are happening.
Behavioural Economics Lens
The way Swiggy and Zomato write their notifications takes ideas from something called the nudge theory. Nudge theory is a concept that comes from economics. It is about making suggestions that influence the choices people make without actually forcing them to do something.
People do not like it when they get messages that are too straightforward, like “Order now!” They prefer it when the message is more thoughtful, like “Feeling hungry.” Your favourite meal awaits!” This kind of message is more appealing because it talks about things that people do every day or things that they really like. The messages are about routine, habit, or emotion.
These small reminders are based on what we know about how people behave. We know that getting a push at the right time can make people do things. This works better than showing them regular ads. The small reminders and gentle pushes are what make the difference. They are, like nudges that help people take action. These small nudges are important because they can influence what people do.
Not Just Convenience: Ethical Considerations
Notifications that are sent at the time and are personalised can be really helpful. The thing is, they also make us wonder about people getting tired of them and if they are private. If people get many notifications, it can be annoying, and they might even delete the app. Research says that how often you send notifications and if they are relevant is important for people to stay interested and like the brand. The push notification user experience study shows that frequency and relevance matter for engagement and brand attachment.
Notifications like these can be good, but only if they are not too many and are actually about something that people care about, as the push notification user experience study says. Zomato itself recently changed the way it sends notifications because people were worried that it was encouraging them to eat food. This shows that companies like Zomato are paying attention to the issues that come with using data to get people engaged with their platform.
Conclusion: The Art and Science of Timed Notifications
The time your phone buzzes with a food suggestion from Swiggy or Zomato at just the right time, remember that it is not just a coincidence. Food suggestions from Swiggy or Zomato are actually based on things you have done before. This is because of behavioural data analysis and predictive modelling that Swiggy or Zomato use to figure out what you might want to eat. They also use timing strategies to make sure you see these food suggestions, from Swiggy or Zomato, at the right moment, which makes the app seem really useful and helpful.
These platforms look at the food you have ordered in the past, and what time of day you usually order. Other things you do. They use this information to send you messages that feel like they are coming from a friend. For example, they might remind you that it is time for lunch. Even though these messages seem friendly, the platforms are actually using real data to figure out when to send them. This helps people who use the platforms and the businesses that sell things on them. The platforms use data science to send messages at the right time, which is helpful for online food platforms and the people who use online food platforms. In a world where attention is currency, smart notifications are one of the ways apps stay in sync with our routines, and increasingly, with our cravings too.
References +
Gavilan, D., & Martinez-Navarro, G. (2022). Exploring users’ experience of push notifications: A grounded theory approach. Qualitative Market Research.
Predicting which type of push notification content motivates users (2018). Journal of Behavioural Insights.
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