A Bengaluru-based founder has become the latest person to flag discriminatory pricing for Android and iOS customers on Zepto. Vinita Singh, the co-founder of Horse Power, shared two screenshots to show how the quick commerce platform charges iPhone customers more for the same product.
Singh said that both the screenshots were taken at the same time and place. Even so, there was a huge price difference in what Zepto charged Android customers versus what iPhone users had to pay.
Zepto’s price gap
Vinita Singh took to LinkedIn on Saturday to raise concerns about Zepto’s discriminatory pricing model. She shared two screenshots from the Zepto app.
The first screenshot, taken from an Android phone, shows 500 grams of capsicum listed for ₹21 on the Zepto app. The second screenshot shows the same quantity of capsicum being sold for ₹107 on iPhone.
“Zepto, is there any clarification for this? First Screenshot : Android. Second Screenshot : iPhone,” wrote Singh while sharing the screenshots on LinkedIn.
“Both the screenshots were taken at the same time , this morning . But why such difference, Zepto?” the Bengaluru-based founder asked, tagging the founders of the quick-commerce platform.
{{/usCountry}}“Both the screenshots were taken at the same time , this morning . But why such difference, Zepto?” the Bengaluru-based founder asked, tagging the founders of the quick-commerce platform.
{{/usCountry}}Take a look at her post here.
Her post went quickly viral on social media. It was reposted on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), where many users reported similar experiences of pricing gaps.
“It’s the Apple. They charge vendors up to 35% percentage of all in app purchases. So when you pay for it on their app, Apple takes 35% of it. They have been sued for those practices too,” wrote one X user, to which another replied: “Those are applied on digital goods only if you buy through App Store.”
HT.com has reached out to Zepto for a comment and will update this copy on receiving a response.
Outrage over different prices
Recently, there has been an increased scrutiny around discriminatory pricing practices by online platforms. Last week, the Consumer Protection Authority sent notices to cab aggregators Ola and Uber for allegedly charging customers different rates based on their mobile's operating system.
Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi announced this in a post on X on January 23.
Another Bengaluru woman had recently demonstrated how Zepto implements different prices for Android and iPhone.
The pricing disparity in Apple and Android is often attributed to perceived differences in user demographics. E-commerce platforms may assume that iPhone users have higher disposable incomes and are therefore more likely to pay extra - a sentiment echoed by dozens of social media users.