I recently purchased the Zepto Pass, which promised waived delivery fees for orders above ₹99—a benefit I thought was well worth the ₹29 I paid. With this in mind, I made purchases almost every day, carefully planning and chunking my orders to meet the minimum order value.
After a few orders, I noticed something peculiar: a small “Apply” button next to the message, “Free delivery coupon unlocked.” That moment sparked two simultaneous reactions in me.
As a consumer, I felt angry and frustrated. But as someone working in product and growth, I felt disappointed. This was a clear misuse of inattentional blindness. For context, inattentional blindness occurs when people focus so intently on one task or goal that they miss critical details elsewhere (if you’re curious, I recommend taking the Gorilla test)
In this case, Zepto cleverly directs users’ attention toward meeting the minimum order value, reinforces this effort with a satisfying “goal achieved” message, and relies on animated feedback to solidify that sense of completion. Yet, despite achieving the goal, users still need to tap “Apply” to activate the free delivery—a step that many might miss due to their narrowed focus.
From a behavioural design perspective, it’s a well-executed trick. But it’s also a disingenuous one. While I fully support behavioural design that drives revenue and aligns with business goals, it should never come at the expense of consumer trust.
#behaviour #design #product #growth
SDE @ Walmart | ex-Delta Air lines | ex-Boeing
6moOne thing I don’t like about Zepto is that with free pass free delivery should be auto applied, instead user has to click on free delivery button every time. It’s an extra click for user and sometimes in a hurry user end up paying delivery free and there is no direct refund for that flow.