Zepto preps premium Select tab ahead of 2026 IPO
Zepto is readying a premium grocery tab called Select, stocking imported and gourmet products priced to undercut rivals, weeks ahead of its planned listing.
- Zepto plans a dedicated in-app tab called Select for imported and gourmet groceries, expected in the coming weeks after an encouraging pilot
- Inc42 reports Zepto intends to price some premium and imported products below rivals, turning the affluent basket into a price war
- All three big platforms now run premium shelves, so early listings will set category defaults before Zepto's IPO
Inc42 reports that Zepto is building a premium grocery service, tentatively named Select, that will sit inside its app as a dedicated tab for imported food, gourmet groceries and other upmarket products. Per the report, a pilot in select areas drew an encouraging response, the company has begun talks with premium brands, and a launch is expected in the coming weeks.
Premium is the new battleground
Every large platform is now chasing the affluent basket. Inc42 notes that Blinkit is piloting Gourmet through roughly five dedicated dark stores across Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, while Swiggy Instamart has expanded a premium and imported products section. The logic is simple. Premium baskets raise average order value without raising delivery cost, which is the fastest lever on per-order economics in this business.
Zepto’s twist is price. Inc42 reports the company plans to price some imported and premium products below what rivals charge. That is an aggressive stance for a segment where shoppers rarely compare line by line, and it suggests Zepto wants the premium shopper’s loyalty, not just margin from each order.
The IPO clock is running
The timing is not accidental. Zepto is preparing to list later in 2026 and needs both top-line growth and margin proof. Per Inc42, as of March 2026 Zepto ran 1,139 dark stores and about 23.3 lakh daily orders, against Blinkit’s 2,243 stores and 30.4 lakh orders, with Instamart at 1,143 stores. A premium tab is a way to close the value gap without matching Blinkit store for store. Higher baskets flatter the numbers public investors will read first.
What an operator does with this
If you sell premium, imported or gourmet products, three platform-side premium shelves are now forming and the earliest listings will define what shoppers expect the category to cost. Get your catalogue, certifications and pricing ladder ready before Select opens, and decide in advance how you respond if platform pricing undercuts your other channels, because that pressure on trade margins arrives on day one.
Zane’s analysis draws on original reporting by Inc42. Read the original report.