The Holy Cart
We’ve all accepted that marketplaces come with a steep “brand tax”: commissions (15–30%), platform ads, shipping fees, payment gateway charges, and a dozen hidden costs. D2C founders swallow it because these platforms deliver scale and an audience from day one. But every rupee is an investment in a meticulously choreographed customer journey, one brands have spent months (sometimes years) optimising:
Multi-touchpoint Acquisition:
Off-platform discovery: Social ads (Meta, Google), influencer collaborations, SEO/content marketing, programmatic display.
On-platform capture: Sponsored search ads, category banners, homepage carousels, flash sales, coupons.
Competitor targeting: Sponsored displays under competitor listings.
Social proof & authority: Reviews, UGC, influencer unboxings, affiliate endorsements.
Retargeting & nurturing: Dynamic remarketing, WhatsApp and SMS nudges, push notifications.
Each of these touchpoints adds cost—on average, D2C brands spend ₹200–₹300 to acquire a customer whose cart value might be ₹1,000 (and typically lower on Zepto). Yet the brands do it hoping to recover with lifetime value and to build brand equity.
Once a shopper finally adds the product to the cart, there’s an unspoken pact: the marketplace algorithm will upsell (“you may also like…”) but never betray. Until now.
Zepto’s “Swap & Save” breaks that pact.
After charging us commissions and ad fees to funnel the customer into their cart, Zepto cheekily suggests a cheaper alternative—“swap and save.” This tiny saving initiates a dangerous race to the bottom:
Margin erosion: We lose more on the price cut than we ever saved on that ₹10 swap.
Brand commoditisation: Shoppers learn to expect constant price swaps, eroding perceived value.
Wasted ad spend: Will Zepto credit us back for the ₹300 we spent to acquire the cart? Unlikely.
What’s more worrying is the endgame: if every cart can be "swapped" by a Zepto private label, where does that leave the brands?
D2C brands’ defence must evolve:
Own the relationship: Drive more direct traffic to brand sites, invest in first-party data and loyalty programs.
Value beyond price: Lean into exclusivity, storytelling, community—attributes no swap feature can replicate.
Zepto’s Swap & Save isn’t just a feature—it’s a bellwether for a new type of marketplace power.
