Zepto Responds After ‘I Miss You, Says i-Pill’ Notification To Woman Sparks Backlash

Smartphone apps are now an essential aspect of our everyday lives in the digital age. Software provides a multitude of purposes, ranging from social media, retail, entertainment, and health care. So, in an effort to keep users interested and connected, app developers have resorted to making unique notifications that stand out from the never-ending barrage of alerts customers get. Frequently, these alerts combine humor and promotion to draw in viewers.

However, there have been issues with this strategy, especially when the messaging goes too far in the wrong direction. Something similar recently happened with one woman who received a disturbing message from Zepto, a renowned e-commerce application. The matter becomes so big that even Zepto recognizes its mistake and pledges not to repeat the mistake again.

Women criticize Zepto for sending her notification related to i-Pill

An indecent comment from the grocery delivery app Zepto recently caught one woman off guard. Pallavi Pareek recently received a notification from Zepto that said,

I miss you, Pallavi, says I-Pill emergency contraceptive pill.

Upon seeing the message, Pallavi felt enraged

She took the screenshot and posted in on LinkedIn along with the long message, saying,

Dear Zepto and Zepto Cares team. So many things wrong about this. One, I have never ordered an emergency pill from you. Even if I did, you should know that this is not something that should be missing me or I should be missing it. You want me to have a need of taking an emergency contraceptive? But most important why am I getting this when this order has never been placed with you.

Pallavi clarified her position further by saying,

Messaging is right only if it is sensitive or humorous or has some logic to it. I draw a line when your notifications are flirty or trying to be sleazy cheesy. But this is a little too much.

Despite her annoyance, Pallavi made it clear that the tone of the promotional message rather than the software itself was the target of her criticism. She said,

Note: just to keep it right- I love Zepto as an app. They are a huge backbone to my life considering I rely heavily on such apps to place orders. This post is to highlight the flaw in mindless logic and copy and not against ipill promo or availability.

Zepto recognizes their mistake and apologizes to customer

Zepto responded to Pallavi’s post on social media after the incident immediately gathered prominence. Soon, Zepto realized its mistake and admitted that the communication was careless and might have been damaging. Zepto responded, saying,

Hey Pallavi, We messed up, and for that, we’re truly sorry. We understand how thoughtless and potentially harmful it was. Please know we’ve taken immediate action: Corrected the issue, Updated our processes, Retrained our team. We value your trust and well-being above all. This mistake won’t happen again. Speedily yours, Team Zepto

What do you think about this Zepto’s mess-up? Do you think it is appropriate to send these kinds of personalized notifications to customers? Do share your thoughts in the comment section of this article.