Quick commerce unicorn Zepto starts testing new feature 'Swap & Save'

Zepto's new feature suggests lower-priced alternatives to items in user carts, starting with ice creams, while also announcing Zepto Atom for brand analytics

Quick commerce unicorn Zepto has rolled out a beta version of a new feature, Swap and Save, on its platform. The feature, currently visible on select product categories such as ice creams, automatically suggests lower-priced alternatives to products that users add to their carts.

 

The new feature may boost savings while assisting consumers in making economical purchase decisions.

 

For instance, while choosing a Go Zero French Vanilla ice cream tub priced at ₹349, the app suggested an Amul Vanilla Magic—a comparatively cheaper alternative priced at ₹195. The product type and flavour of both items, though, remain the same.

 

Similarly, in place of the Baskin-Robbins Hazelnut Ice Cream Cone priced at ₹95, the platform suggested the Amul Gold TriCone Butterscotch Ice Cream Cone priced at ₹40. However, in this case, while the product type was the same (an ice cream cone), the flavour was different. Notably, for the majority of selections under the ice cream category, the alternative products suggested were those of the Amul brand.

 

Kaivalya Vohra, Co-founder of Zepto, told Business Standard, “The Swap and Save feature is an early-stage experiment born out of our deep customer obsession and commitment to meeting evolving user needs. As this is still in testing, we don’t have further details to share at the moment.”

 

Samit Sinha, Founder of Alchemist Brand Consulting, said that while the feature could be part of advertising and brand promotion, it may have limited utility. However, how brands perceive this ‘swap’ feature remains to be seen, Sinha added.

 

“As a consumer, one has already decided that there is a particular brand and item from that brand they want to purchase, irrespective of being pushed for a cheaper alternative. The consumer also has a certain amount of brand loyalty and would have, in any case, opted for that brand regardless of the price,” Sinha said.

 

However, he added that if a customer has already chosen a brand and the platform pushes another brand to them, the initially chosen brand may feel uncomfortable being hosted on the platform.

 

On Wednesday, Zepto also announced plans to roll out its subscription-based, data insights-led product, Zepto Atom. The new product aims to provide brand partners listed on Zepto with access to real-time market data, consumer behaviour analysis, customer repeatability and retention data, and predictive analytics.

 

“Zepto Atom is a serious attempt by our Category and Tech teams to build a disruptive new product in the consumer analytics industry in India. We believe we can harness the millions of data points Zepto generates every day to give brands customised and real-time insights on their products at a much more competitive price point than they are currently incurring,” said Aadit Palicha, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zepto, during the announcement of Zepto Atom.