Zepto, India’s fastest-growing quick commerce brand, isn’t just delivering groceries in 10 minutes, its delivering innovation at scale.
With a surge in growth hitting $1.5B in annualised sales by mid-2024, Zepto faced mounting pressure on its backend systems. Legacy infrastructure and monolithic architecture were holding it back, especially as real-time delivery demands soared.
The Challenge? Scaling at Speed
Originally built on PostgreSQL and Redis clusters, Zepto’s stack couldn’t keep pace. “We had a big monolith,” said Mayank Agarwal, senior architect at Zepto. “As the business grew, performance issues became unavoidable.”
Redis caching, once a strength, had become a scaling bottleneck. Kshitij Singh, tech lead at Zepto, explained: “Our Redis setup was massive and hard to scale further. MongoDB’s in-memory caching came as a game-changer.”
The Solution: A Strategic Shift to MongoDB Atlas
Zepto migrated to MongoDB Atlas, transitioning from a relational setup to a more scalable, NoSQL architecture. The move allowed Zepto to:
The shift also helped consolidate caching, optimize query performance, and decoupled systems while simplifying ETL pipelines and reducing engineering overhead.
Why MongoDB Atlas?
Nested documents, array-based queries, in-memory caching, real-time archival, and analytical nodes. All wrapped in a fully managed cloud-native experience. “It gave us the confidence to scale fast without worrying about bottlenecks,” said Agarwal.
Scaling with AWS from Day One
Zepto’s rapid rise has also been fueled by its deep partnership with AWS. From launching its MVP using AWS Activate credits to building scalable dark-store logistics, AWS has been the bedrock of Zepto’s tech journey.
“From a single dark store in Mumbai to over 200 today, AWS has been instrumental,” shared co-founder Kaivalya Vohra. With help from AWS architects, Zepto created innovative, cost-effective solutions including generative AI-based customer service tools that are cutting response times and boosting satisfaction.
The Latest Buzz? Pricing Algorithm Controversy
Even as Zepto sharpens its tech edge, it’s facing public heat over differential pricing on iOS and Android. Users have taken to social media to call out stark pricing inconsistencies, sparking debates around algorithm transparency and fair pricing practices.
Zepto’s story is one of bold pivots and relentless optimization. It's a masterclass in scaling digital infrastructure to match explosive business growth. But as with all things tech, the customer experience remains a delicate balance of performance and perception.