Zepto Backlashed by Netizens for Calling Woman “Cutie”

Recently, a Bengaluru woman slammed Zepto after the quick-commerce platform sent her an unsolicited message addressing her as a “cutie.” "You got a follow request from Namaskaram Banana Chips Original Style Salted," the remaining message read. 

The promotional message from the quick-commerce platform was for a brand of banana chips.

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What actually happened? 

"Yesterday I received a push notification from Zepto which very conveniently addressed me as "Cutie_mahak"! and suddenly it brought along all the terrible instances that all teenage girls in India go through," the lady shared in a LinkedIn post.

"Fast forward many years, we are in an era of startups and POSH acts and all talks about women safety yet a well-known brand finds it appropriate to call a random stranger ‘Cutie’ with no context at all?"

She pointed out that receiving messages from brands addressing “random adverbs” to any woman was unacceptable.

The lady added that when she shared a poll on Instagram after receiving the message from Zepto, many of her friends felt that she was overreacting.

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A similar incident 

Incidentally, the leading quick commerce company received backlash for a similar unsolicited promotional notification for a contraceptive pill it sent to another lady customer in Bengaluru. The message read, “I miss you, Pallavi. Says i-Pill emergency contraceptive pill," followed by three teary-eyed emoticons. The customer Pallavi Pareek was annoyed and questioned the company’s ethical standards.

Zepto quickly apologized acknowledging their error. “Hey Pallavi, we messed up, and we're truly sorry. We understand how thoughtless and potentially harmful this was,” the company replied.

Zepto faces severe backlash

The brand’s message in either case was immediately backlashed by netizens on LinkedIn and other platforms. 

Zepto is India’s leading quick-commerce app that delivers online groceries, vegetables, fruits, vegetables, personal care, electronics, and more.

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