Nothing pulls people together like great food, according to research released by the 10-minute e-grocery service app, Zepto.

According to the firm, an average delivery takes about 8 minutes and 40 seconds. The 10-minute food delivery service employs an inventory model to operate, delivering products from nearby micro-warehouses.

In a survey published on Thursday by the rapid commerce business, one of the most strange goods that Indians were looking for on Zepto was pyjama nadas, which are used to attach Indian-style trousers.

Other strange goods that Indians looked up on the app in 2022 were cowdung pastries, Gangajal (holy water), hangover cure injections, and hoola hoops.

The number of munchies searches and orders increased by over 50%, frozen food orders increased by 80% (both vegetarian and non-vegetarian), and raw meats and marinated meat orders increased by 150%. 

However, the most well-liked products continued to be ice cream and chips, and other comfort foods. The portal received roughly 120 requests for ice cream, chips, and soft drinks per minute. And another hundred orders for fresh meals, salads, and juices each minute.

Items ordered Rather than Daily Essentials

Daily necessities including groceries, dairy, fresh produce, and household necessities accounted for 74% of all orders.

While grocery remains the most popular area for orders, Zepto has seen consistent growth in the home utility, hygiene, self-care, and electronics categories as well.

The platform also identified some fascinating Indian consumer trends. The site, for instance, daily sold three diapers per each condom. In addition, four tonnes of meat products were sold each day, and the desire for ice cream in the summer was comparable to that in the winter.

Amritansu Nanda, chief marketing officer at Zepto, says “We’re also focussing on making their entire experience – right from placing orders to receiving the deliveries – as seamless as possible. It is humbling to see so many Indian customers make the best use of Zepto’s offerings through orders for all their needs – no matter how distinct,”.

Aadit Palicha, co-founder and CEO at Zepto, says “2022 has been a thrilling year for Zepto. We are proud to have delivered every customer promise with excellence- be it consistency in delivery times, product and tech experience, the quality of our assortment, and introducing new categories and products that excite and cater to every big or small customer need,”.

Between The Lines

Zepto, the fastest-growing e-grocery company in India, was founded in 2021 by Stanford University dropouts Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra. Zepto recently raised $200 million in a Series-D round of funding from renowned international investors such as Glade Brook Capital, Kaiser Permanente, Y Combinator Continuity, Nexus Venture Partners, and Lachy Groom. Zepto, which has its headquarters in Mumbai, employs more than a thousand people throughout ten of the largest cities in the nation and provides 5000+ products, such as fresh produce and other daily kitchen necessities, dairy, health and hygiene items, etc., to Indian homes in less than ten minutes.