Overview

Lowering the cost of picker & packer hiring with Conversational AI Agents

Zepto is one of India’s largest quick commerce platforms, operating across 1,500+ dark stores in 100+ cities with a workforce of 25,000+ employees.

Every dark store depends on pickers and packers to keep orders moving. But with 25–30% monthly workforce attrition, hiring is a constant operational requirement. Every vacant position adds pressure to store operations in a business where fulfilment speed matters.

Zepto relied on four hiring channels: paid ads, marketing, employee referrals and vendors. Each had its limitations. Paid channels generated volume but converted poorly. Referrals and vendors converted better, but referrals couldn't scale to the required numbers, while vendors came at a high cost.

The opportunity wasn't simply to generate more leads. It was to get more hires from the talent Zepto already had access to.

With Hunar.AI, Zepto introduced three Conversational AI-powered hiring workflows: activating dormant employee referrers, recovering candidates who dropped out of the hiring funnel, and re-engaging former employees who already knew the job.

The result: 500+ referrals generated in two weeks, 4% additional conversions from organic drop-offs, and a rejoining channel that brought back former employees.

The challenge

With thousands of picker and packer positions to fill across its dark stores, Zepto needed to balance hiring volume, conversion and cost. Three challenges stood out.

1. Attrition kept replenishment hiring constant

With 25–30% of the workforce churning every month, hiring wasn't a one-time exercise. Zepto needed to continuously replace departing employees across 1,500+ dark stores while maintaining the workforce required for daily operations.

2. High-volume channels were expensive and leaky

Paid ads and marketing helped bring candidates into the funnel, but many dropped off before completing the hiring process.

Vendors could deliver better conversions, but at a higher cost and with limited volume. Zepto needed additional hiring capacity without relying entirely on expensive acquisition channels.

3. High-converting referrals weren't scaling

Employee referrals were one of the strongest hiring channels, but only a small proportion of employees actively referred candidates.

The opportunity was to activate employees who hadn't referred anyone recently and make it easier for them to participate.

4. Potential hires were being left behind

Candidates who had already entered the hiring funnel but dropped off weren't consistently re-engaged. Former employees who already knew the job were another underutilised talent pool.

Both groups represented opportunities to generate hires without starting acquisition from scratch.

The solution

Hunar.AI helped Zepto activate existing hiring channels through Conversational AI, focusing on employees who could refer, candidates who had dropped off and former employees who could return.

Use case 1: Activating dormant employee referrers

1. Reaching employees who hadn't referred recently

Hunar.AI engages employees who haven't made a referral in the past 30 days, re-engaging them as potential sources of new candidates.

2. Making the referral process easier

The Conversational AI agent reminds employees about the referral bonus and guides them through how to submit a referral using the app.

3. Scaling a high-converting channel

Instead of waiting for employees to initiate referrals, Zepto can proactively engage its workforce and encourage more participation.

The result is a way to expand referrals without depending solely on organic employee participation.

Use case 2: Recovering organic candidate drop-offs

1. Re-engaging candidates already in the funnel

Candidates who entered through paid ads and marketing but dropped off are contacted again through Conversational AI.

2. Guiding candidates towards the store visit

The agent helps candidates understand their next steps, addresses routine questions and provides reminders to complete the journey to the store.

3. Getting more value from existing acquisition spend

By recovering candidates who might otherwise have been lost, Zepto can generate additional conversions from leads it has already acquired rather than relying entirely on fresh marketing spend.

Use case 3: Bringing former employees back

1. Reconnecting with experienced pickers and packers

Hunar.AI engages former employees and informs them about the opportunity to rejoin Zepto.

2. Removing barriers to returning

For interested former employees, the agent can also help facilitate a store change when required, making the return process more convenient.

3. Reopening a familiar talent pool

Former employees already understand the role and its requirements. Zepto can tap into that experience instead of treating every vacancy as an opportunity that must be filled by a completely new hire.

Zepto's deployment highlights the potential of rejoining as an additional hiring channel, with former employees cited as being 40% more productive than new hires.

The impact

Hunar.AI helped Zepto activate three sources of potential hires, each addressing a different gap in its hiring funnel.

500+ referrals in two weeks

Conversational AI proactively engaged employees who hadn't referred candidates recently, helping Zepto activate its existing workforce as a source of referrals.

4% additional conversions from organic drop-offs

Re-engaging candidates who had dropped off helped recover additional conversions from the existing hiring funnel, creating more value from prior acquisition efforts.

3% of former employees brought back

Conversational AI helped Zepto reconnect with former employees and create an additional route for experienced pickers and packers to return.

What changed for Zepto's hiring teams?

Before Hunar.AI

Paid ads and marketing generate leads → Candidates drop off → Recruiters and vendors work to fill the gaps → Employees refer candidates only when they take the initiative → Former employees remain an underutilised talent pool

Hiring teams had to keep sourcing new candidates while existing opportunities across the funnel remained untapped.

With Hunar.AI

Dormant employees receive referral outreach → Existing candidate drop-offs are re-engaged → Former employees are invited to return → Interested candidates move towards the next hiring step

Conversational AI adds structured follow-up to three existing talent pools, helping Zepto generate additional hiring opportunities without depending entirely on new ad spend or vendor sourcing.

The outcome

More value from every part of the hiring funnel

For a quick commerce business operating 1,500+ dark stores, hiring efficiency isn't just about filling vacancies. It's about keeping the workforce ready to support daily operations despite continuous attrition.

Zepto's approach with Hunar.AI shifts the focus from constantly acquiring more candidates to activating the talent already within reach: employees who can refer, candidates who nearly joined, and former employees who already know the job.

Each workflow creates an additional route to hiring while helping reduce dependence on expensive acquisition channels.

The shift: from paying for more hiring volume to unlocking more value from the talent already in Zepto's ecosystem.