Comparing packaging design of Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit , Big Basket and Zepto reveals learnings that could be easily applied by vegan brands too.
For a service sector such as quick commerce, their carry bags = their product packaging.
Until recently, brands considered their carry bags as utilitarian, not as a lucrative consumer touchpoint.
This valuable real estate was most often wasted, except for the logo and contact details. However, in recent times, this humble carry bag has undergone a makeover. Many brands are adding them to their marketing arsenal.
In this article, let’s do a comparative analysis of packaging design of 4 quick commerce players.
For simplicity, I have broken down packaging design into its key components and rated each of the 4 brands on those parameters.
Here we go:
Positioning:
’10 minute delivery’ is synonymous with Indian quick commerce sector.
- Swiggy and Big Basket use this ‘feature‘ of 10 min delivery as their primary proposition which is not unique enough. On its other bag, Swiggy modifies its “10 min delivery” proposition by highlighting its product range.
- Blinkit harps on the ‘benefit‘ of this feature through its USP of “India’s last minute app”
- Zepto is similar to Blinkit but more specific to one festival.
- Instead of quickness, Flipkart Minutes is trying to own the width of product range through “Everything in minutes”.
Because it’s marketing and customer best practice to speak about benefits instead of features, Blinkit wins on the positioning front.
Hence,
- Blinkit: 9/10
- Zepto: 7/10
- Swiggy and Big Basket: 5/10
- Flipkart: 9/10
Visual design:
All 4 brands use 2-color illustrations and doodles to weave a narrative.
- Swiggy goes the topical route with its Christmas bag. Its design focuses on the holiday/ festival and its defining elements: Christmas, Santa Claus, gifts, fireplace, etc. Its other bag focuses on product range width.
- Zepto also focuses on the festival but from the user pov: how different cultures across India celebrate Diwali differently. On the reverse side it gives the calendar for the month of October. Also, Zepto is the only brand that also put up a small comic on its bag on the middle panel.
- Big Basket is topical but focused on a popular passion instead of festival i.e. cricket and related imagery.
- Blinkit shows consumer use-cases across all holidays, occasions and festivals of India; thus visually bringing alive the proposition of a Last Minute App. On the reverse side, it shows monthly calendar interspersed with visual narrative of that month’s highlight.
Hence,
- Swiggy: 6/10
- Big Basket: 6/10
- Blinkit: 10/10
- Zepto: 10/10
Cost effectiveness:
Because Swiggy’s and Zepto’s designs were so very topical,
- Their bags cannot be used year round. They’d have to have printed a limited amount, thus not enjoying economies of scale. Proof? I received the Zepto Diwali October 2024 bag with my order of 30th December, 2024.
- Such time sensitive offerings have a greater chance of either wastage or shortfall, depending upon accuracy of demand estimation.
- Having said that, Swiggy made good use of both sides of the bag through different creatives. Zepto went a step further by utilizing even the middle panel.
Big Basket was topical but
- it could still use these bags rest of the year because we are a cricket loving country.
- Unlike Swiggy, Big Basket did not utilise the available real estate to the max. It used the same design on both sides.
Blinkit won hands down:
- One side boasted a very useful annual list of holidays
- It is during holidays and festivals that we have maximum last minute needs. Thus this directly related to the brand USP
- The other side gives a highly usable monthly calendar
- These can be printed in bulk, can be used year round and thus save significantly.
Hence,
- Blinkit: 11/10
- Swiggy: 6/10
- Zepto: 7/10
- Big Basket: 5/10
Consumer top of mind:
Top of mind recall is critical for a sector like quick commerce because people use it for last minute needs only.
Of the 4, only Blinkit’s bag can be used year round by the customer, thus ensuring top of mind recall.
- It can actually be used as more than a carry bag.
- This longer and frequent use ensures top of mind recall.
Hence,
- Blinkit: 11/10
- Zepto: 4/10
- Swiggy and Big Basket: 3/10
Overall winner?
Blinkit won this round of packaging design hands down!
What say?
How would you rate these brands on the above parameters?
ps: Deliveroo offered a similar “last minute” service but in collaboration with Oreo. Check it out here
Question to think about: 💡
If the marketing budget is limited, should any of it be spent on customizing a carry bag if it has a limited life? Or is it a smart way to get more ROI as it garners free publicity while being used and carried around, even if for a limited time?
Should you want to talk, I am just an email away 🙂
