India's Q-Commerce Trailblazer: Zepto's Formula for Scalable Success

Zepto began as a pandemic-era necessity, a WhatsApp-led grocery delivery service designed to help people access daily essentials quickly.

- By Beny Sachdeva

In just a few years, it has rewritten the rulebook for Indian retail. Today, with over 900 dark stores in 70+ cities, Zepto is not just a quick commerce brand—it is a national phenomenon reshaping how India shops. In an exclusive conversation, Vinay Dhanani, President, Zepto, shares how bold vision, operational precision, and an unflinching focus on customer trust have propelled Zepto to become India's first unicorn of 2023, and how franchising, AI, and hyperlocal innovation are unlocking its next phase of growth.

What was the core vision behind starting Zepto, and how has it evolved since inception?

Zepto began during the pandemic as a WhatsApp-led grocery delivery service, built to help people access essentials quickly and reliably. Since then, it has grown into one of India's fastest-scaling quick commerce platforms, with 900+ dark stores across 70+ cities. While we've expanded into new categories and scaled to over 50,000 SKUs, the vision remains unchanged: to make 10-minute delivery the new normal in India.

What differentiated Zepto early on from other players?

Our belief in 10-minute delivery, at a time when most doubted its relevance or feasibility, set us apart. While others waited, we built the playbook. Today, almost every major platform has entered the space—a sign that the market has caught up to what we saw early on. Our execution-first culture, customer trust, operational excellence and innovations like Zepto Café—India's first dark café model—have been key to expanding the boundaries of convenience in this category.

What are the core values and missions that drive Zepto's leadership and team?