Saving More

I did not know about Zepto but found this strategy interesting. They have a new ‘Swap and Save’ feature, which automatically suggests cheaper alternatives to items in a customer’s cart. Needless to say, it has sparked backlash from several direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand founders. 

While Zepto promotes the feature as a way to help customers save money, D2C brands argue it undermines premium positioning, disrupts customer conversion, and increases pressure to spend on advertising just to remain visible in shoppers’ carts. There is concern that the feature could force brands to offer discounts or pay to avoid being swapped out, favoring larger advertisers and making it harder for smaller brands to compete. Despite the controversy, Zepto is still testing the feature and planning on a wider roll-out. 

The problem viewed from the lens of the consumer looks quite different, atleast in the short run. If a person is on a tight budget and there is service that helped them do more with less, its only a win. The fact that this creates a race to the bottom is not their greatest concern. There is more D2C brands could go a lot further to help consumers - track their shopping cart or wishlist and buy when the prices are the lowest, swap and save when the customer says that is okay to do that but stick with the requested brand when its not.