Zepto caught fire again! Bengaluru woman calls out app for inappropriate notification and calls her ‘cutie’

A woman in Bengaluru sparked outrage after receiving a push notification from fast trading platform Zepto calling her ‘cutie’. The promotional message was intended to promote a brand of banana chips, but the tone of the communication raised eyebrows and sparked wider discussions on social media.

The recipient, Mahak Verma, took to Verma criticized the use of such informal and personal language when addressing a stranger and found it inappropriate for a renowned brand.

In a detailed LinkedIn post, Verma explains: “Yesterday I received a push notification from Zepto, which conveniently addressed me as ‘Cutie_mahak.’ It immediately reminded me of all the awkward experiences that many teenage girls in India go through.”

She emphasized the importance of professionalism and respect in brand communications, especially in an era focused on the safety and empowerment of women through regulations such as the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH).

Furthermore, Verma highlighted the implications of informal language in marketing, asserting that respect in everyday interactions is critical to increasing women’s safety. While some friends speculated that she might have overreacted, Verma conducted an Instagram poll to gauge public opinion on the issue.

The i-Pill response

This incident is not an isolated incident, as Zepto has faced similar reactions before. Earlier, the platform was criticized for sending an unsolicited email to another Bengaluru resident, Pallavi Pareek, which read: “I miss you, Pallavi. Says i-Pill emergency contraceptive pill, complete with emoticons.

This post made Pareek question the company’s ethical standards. In response, Zepto acknowledged the mistake and apologized on LinkedIn, stating: “Hey Pallavi, we messed up and we’re truly sorry. We understand how thoughtless and potentially damaging this was.”