How Zepto’s Brand Engine Keeps Its 10-Minute Promise Alive

By early 2021, India’s online grocery market had reached an inflexion point. The initial challenge, persuading consumers to buy from e-marketplaces for convenience, was largely over. Same-day delivery was fast becoming an industry benchmark. And the race was shifting to the next battleground: Speed. A handful of ambitious players were gearing up to offer ‘instant’ doorstep delivery.

The concept was not exactly novel. Ultra-fast delivery had its first run in the US, Europe and parts of Asia in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Early players…