Democratizing commerce for D2C brands with relevant retail tech solutions

CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Rajeev Singh – Chief Technology Officer, ZEPP

Q1. How is ZEPP disrupting the enterprise commerce segment?

ZEPP, an API platform for integrating retail marketplaces by Zeitgeist Retail Private Limited (ZRPL), is disrupting the enterprise commerce segment in the Indian e-commerce landscape, which is undergoing significant expansion and transformation. This transformation is driven by factors such as M-commerce, social commerce, AI technologies, omnichannel strategies, and the emergence of rural e-commerce. ZEPP is an E-commerce technology and services company that facilitates direct connections between brands and consumers through its open platform.

One of the primary disruptions ZEPP brings is empowering manufacturers and brands to have direct control over their product offerings and pricing. By eliminating intermediaries, this platform ensures consumers receive unbiased offers. Moreover, it strategically positions itself amidst India’s shift towards self-reliance through the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

ZEPP’s “Made in India” API platform offers a wide range of products, including electronics, home and kitchen items, lifestyle accessories, as well as Gift Cards and Subscription Services like Insurance and Software. This breadth of offerings, coupled with its direct-to-consumer (D2C) approach, showcases ZEPP’s commitment to revolutionizing enterprise commerce by providing a comprehensive and inclusive platform for sellers and brands to thrive.

Q2. Enterprise clients can implement a zero-cost employee benefit with the ZEPP API – Is this true? How?

Enterprise clients have a unique opportunity to offer zero-cost employee benefits to enterprise clients through the ZEPP in two distinct ways:

1. White-Labeled E-Commerce Portals with SSO: ZRPL can create customized, white-labeled e-commerce portals for each enterprise client. These portals, which seamlessly integrate with the client’s existing systems through Single Sign-On (SSO), enable employees to purchase products at discounted prices. The white-label approach ensures that the shopping experience feels like a natural extension of the company’s intranet, providing a familiar and convenient environment for employees.
2. Integration with Existing Employee Benefits Portals: For enterprise clients that already have an employee benefits portal, ZEPP can be integrated via APIs. This integration expands the existing portal’s offerings by adding ZRPL’s extensive product catalog and order processing capabilities. This setup acts as a headless e-commerce solution for the clients, enabling them to offer a broader range of products without the need for additional infrastructure, maintenance, or management costs.

Q3. What are the key benefits for D2C brands to integrate with ZEPP?

ZEPP’s comprehensive suite of APIs, encompassing physical goods, digital products, and services like insurance and bill payments, stands out as a significant advantage. This wide-ranging offering serves as a one-stop solution for businesses seeking to enhance their e-commerce capabilities, streamlining operations while enriching the user experience with a diverse array of offerings consolidated under a single platform.

Operating on a B2B2C model, ZEPP adeptly caters to a varied clientele. By facilitating direct connections between businesses and end consumers, it establishes a mutually beneficial landscape. Businesses leverage their existing customer base while extending their services, enabling consumers to enjoy a unified shopping experience. Embracing an API-first approach inherently supports scalability, empowering ZEPP to efficiently adapt to the evolving needs of both its business partners and end users. This flexibility ensures seamless growth and adjustment in response to the dynamic market landscape.

We are actively engaged in integrating with ONDC, focusing on both supplier and seller facets to expand its product range significantly. This initiative aims to introduce a wide array of products to its platforms while facilitating a seamless onboarding process for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands onto the ONDC platform. Moreover, we’re diligently working on integrating bill payment services and ‘buy now, pay later’ options, ensuring a smoother purchasing experience and enhancing affordability for consumers.

Q4. How does ZEPP integrate with ONDC? Tell us more about the features of your API.

Integrating ZEPP with ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) aligns seamlessly with its architecture, which is distinctly decoupled into two primary components: the seller side and the buyer side. This structure perfectly resonates with ONDC’s framework:

1. Seller Side of ZEPP and ONDC Integration: ZEPP’s seller side, responsible for seller onboarding, catalog management, and order processing, directly interfaces with ONDC as a seller app. This integration means that any seller on ZEPP is automatically made available to the wider ONDC network. It enhances the reach of sellers on ZEPP, giving them access to a broader market beyond the ZEPP ecosystem.
2. Buyer Side of ZEPP and ONDC Integration: Conversely, the buyer side of ZEPP, which focuses on managing end customer interactions, preferences, user experience, and the handling of cart and order details, functions as a buyer app within the ONDC framework. This allows customers on ZEPP’s platform to not only access ZEPP’s inventory but also the extensive range of products available across the entire ONDC network.

This integration offers a robust, expansive marketplace experience for both sellers and buyers. Sellers gain increased visibility and reach, while buyers enjoy a wider selection of products and a unified shopping experience.

Regarding the features of ZEPP’s API:

The key feature of ZEPP’s API is its comprehensive nature. Once integrated, this ‘catch-all’ API provides access to the entire catalog of products. This means that when new sellers join and add their products to the ZEPP platform, these items become instantly available through the same API. There is no need for additional integrations or modifications to access new catalogs. This feature ensures that the API integration is a one-time process, offering a dynamic, evolving catalog that grows as more sellers onboard, without requiring further technical adjustments from the integrators’ end. This streamlined approach significantly simplifies the integration process for enterprise clients and partners, ensuring they always have access to the latest and most extensive range of products available on ZEPP and, by extension, on the ONDC network.

Q5. How do you think technology can democratise e-commerce in India?

Technology has the potential to democratize e-commerce in India by creating a more inclusive and accessible market. Here’s how:

1. Broadening Market Access: Advanced e-commerce platforms can bring smaller sellers into the digital marketplace. This access is crucial for local and regional businesses, allowing them to compete alongside larger corporations, thus expanding their reach and customer base.
2. Connecting Buyers and Sellers: By leveraging integrated e-commerce systems, technology can ensure seamless interactions between buyers and sellers. This improves market efficiency and helps buyers find a wider array of products, including those from smaller, niche sellers.
3. Lowering Entry Barriers for Small Businesses: E-commerce technology, especially user-friendly platforms, reduces the complexity and cost of entering the digital market. This is particularly important in India, where many small businesses may lack the resources for traditional retail expansion.
4. Personalization and Localization: Tailoring e-commerce platforms to address the diverse needs of India’s population, including language and regional preferences, can significantly enhance user experience. This approach makes e-commerce more relevant and accessible to various demographics, including those in rural or less developed areas.
5. Cost-Effective Solutions: By minimizing the need for physical infrastructure and reducing operational costs, technology makes it feasible for smaller enterprises to participate in e-commerce. This democratizes the marketplace, allowing businesses of all sizes to compete.
6. Leveraging Data for Growth: The use of data analytics in e-commerce can provide insights into consumer behavior, helping businesses tailor their offerings more effectively. This can lead to smarter, data-driven decisions, enabling businesses to grow and adapt in a competitive market.
7. Equalizing the Playing Field: Access to e-commerce technology can level the playing field, breaking down the dominance of a few major players. This fosters a healthier competitive environment where success is more about innovation and quality than just size and market power.

In essence, technology has the capacity to transform the e-commerce landscape in India, making it more inclusive, competitive, and tailored to the needs of a diverse consumer base. It encourages economic growth and ensures the benefits of digital commerce are more widely shared across society.

Q6. What differentiates your business from large marketplace platforms?

ZEPP, as an e-commerce aggregator offering an API-first approach, positions itself uniquely in the competitive landscape dominated by mega e-commerce platforms. Its competitive edge can be analyzed from three primary angles:

API-First E-Commerce Company: Being an API-first platform, ZEPP offers a significant advantage in terms of flexibility and integration. This approach allows businesses to easily embed e-commerce capabilities into their existing services. Unlike traditional e-commerce platforms that often require businesses to adapt to their systems and processes, ZEPP’s API-first design means that companies can maintain their user experience and branding while seamlessly integrating a wide range of e-commerce functionalities.

Comprehensive Product Suite: ZEPP’s offering of a single suite of APIs covering a vast array of products and services, including physical goods, digital products, and even services like insurance and bill payments, is a major differentiator. This breadth of offering not only makes it a one-stop solution for businesses looking to expand their e-commerce capabilities but also enhances the user experience by providing a diverse range of products and services under one umbrella.

Scalability and Diversity through B2B2C Model: The B2B2C model adopted by ZEPP allows it to cater to a diverse set of customers. By enabling businesses to reach end consumers directly, ZEPP creates a win-win situation where businesses can leverage their existing customer base and offer additional services, while consumers benefit from a more integrated and comprehensive shopping experience. Additionally, the API-first approach inherently supports scalability, allowing ZEPP to easily accommodate the growing and changing needs of both the businesses it serves and their end customers.

In comparison to mega e-commerce platforms, ZEPP may not directly compete in terms of user base or brand recognition. However, its competitive advantage lies in its ability to empower other businesses to enter or expand in the e-commerce space with minimal hassle and maximum efficiency. This not only makes it a valuable partner for businesses looking to leverage e-commerce but also positions it as a key player in the evolving digital commerce ecosystem

Q7. How do you imagine the future of e-commerce in India to shape in the next decade?

India’s e-commerce is rapidly evolving with technological advancements and strategic changes. Key drivers include Logistics Service Providers (LSPs), drop shipping, and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), marking a pivotal shift. This collaboration promises streamlined operations, aiding businesses in efficient scaling and reducing logistical complexities. Additionally, it fosters a consumer-focused marketplace, aligning operations with evolving preferences for swift product delivery. This transformative synergy positions Indian e-commerce for inclusive growth and enhanced responsiveness to consumer needs.

Q8. Share a few retail trends you see taking shape in 2024?

This year, economic uncertainties slowed down sales growth, with total retail sales reaching a level seen only in 2020’s Q2 and not since 2009. Despite this, hybrid shopping remains popular, with nearly 60% of global consumers favoring online over in-store shopping, according to GWI research. The shopping landscape continues to evolve: Interactive ad formats like QR codes are now part of streaming and premium video, while platforms like TikTok are expanding their shopping features, empowering brands to drive faster conversions.

Retailers are building their proprietary media networks, attracting brands with first-party data as concerns about cookie deprecation grow. Amidst all this, AI remains a hot topic. In discussing emerging retail trends for 2024, some noteworthy shifts are taking place beyond the commonly acknowledged themes like digitization and enhanced customer experiences. While those aspects remain crucial, there are notable advancements poised to make significant impacts on the retail landscape.

Emerging retail trends for 2024 include:

• Generative AI: Revolutionizing retail with improved product descriptions, visuals, customer queries, and marketing content.
• MACH Principles: Simplifying integration for multi-vendor solutions and recognizing the need for standardization.
• Retail Media Networks (RMNs): Growing digital ad platforms influencing shoppers during their buying journey.
• Livestreaming & TikTok: Emerging as key channels, especially among younger consumers.
• Sustainability & Re-commerce: Transparency in supply chains and the rise of used product markets.
• AI/ML Optimizations: Expanding AI/ML applications beyond personalization and forecasting.
• Computer Vision: Improving in-store experiences and simplifying checkout processes.
• Immersive Retail: Augmented reality and enhanced browsing boosting shopper confidence.
• Automation: Increasingly adopted solutions to streamline operations amid labour shortages.
• Retail Shrink Solutions: Seeking ways to curb theft without impacting customer experiences.