Digital
Illustrake builds Zappfresh’s digital backbone for scalable growth
MUMBAI: Illustrake has teamed up with fresh meat and seafood brand Zappfresh to build a full-fledged digital and delivery technology platform, giving the D2C player a stronger engine for its next phase of growth.
As Zappfresh expands across India, the brand faced a familiar challenge in a fast-moving category. Orders come thick and fast, operations are complex, and customer expectations leave little room for error. To keep pace, Zappfresh needed more than patchwork tools. It needed a single, well-oiled digital ecosystem.
Enter Illustrake.
Working as Zappfresh’s technology and product partner, Illustrake designed and developed the entire digital setup from scratch. This included the consumer mobile app, website, internal CRM and a dedicated delivery partner app, each tailored to its users with clear, intuitive interfaces.
Behind the screens, the platforms were built to handle real-time inventory tracking, smooth order management, delivery coordination and a shared pool of customer data. The CRM acts as the system’s brain, bringing together order flows, customer insights and marketing automation under one roof.
On the ground, the delivery partner app helps streamline last-mile fulfilment with real-time task allocation, route visibility and live order updates. The result is fewer bottlenecks, faster deliveries and better control across operations.
By tightly connecting customer-facing platforms with backend and delivery systems, Zappfresh now operates with greater speed and flexibility, while keeping the customer experience consistent.
Commenting on the partnership, Zappfresh founder Deepanshu Manchanda said, “Illustrake showed a strong understanding of what it takes to build technology for scale. Their work across our digital and delivery platforms has supported our growth journey and gives us a solid base for future expansion.”
Illustrake Digital Marketing Services co-founder Mihir Gadhvi added, “Our focus is on creating technology that links customer experience, operations and last-mile delivery seamlessly. Zappfresh operates in a high-frequency, complex category, and this project reflects our ability to build integrated platforms designed for speed, control and long-term growth.”
The collaboration reflects a wider trend among D2C brands, which are increasingly investing in custom-built, connected technology to stay competitive in demanding and operationally intense markets.
Digital
Govt eyes curbs on misleading AI ads targeting children & women: Ashwini Vaishnaw
Ashwini Vaishnaw says new safeguards under discussion to boost online safety
NEW DELHI: The government is examining fresh measures to curb misleading advertisements and harmful content targeting children and women on digital platforms, union minister for electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Responding to a question from a member, Vaishnaw said ensuring the safety of children and women across social media platforms has become an urgent priority as the digital ecosystem expands rapidly.
“The safety of children on all social media platforms and the safety of women against misleading advertisements is a very important point. We have to take all steps required to ensure the safety of our children and the entire society on digital platforms, whether it is AI-generated material or content posted by publishers on social media platforms,” the minister said.
He added that discussions on stronger safeguards are underway and noted that there is “practically unanimity” among members of the consultative committee on the need for additional measures to protect citizens online. Vaishnaw also acknowledged the work of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT, chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, which recently examined the issue of online safety in detail.
Separately, in a written reply in Parliament, minister of state for electronics and IT Jitin Prasada said the government’s approach is aimed at building an “open, safe, trusted and accountable internet” for all users, particularly children.
He noted that existing legislation such as the Information Technology Act 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 already places obligations on social media platforms to prevent the hosting or sharing of unlawful or harmful content. Platforms must also remove such content within hours once notified by authorities.
Under the DPDP framework, additional safeguards are in place for children’s data. These include mandatory verifiable parental consent before platforms process the personal data of minors, along with restrictions on tracking, behavioural monitoring or targeted advertising directed at children.
In another response in Parliament, the government also flagged rising concerns around technology-enabled crimes against women, including cyberbullying, harassment and the misuse of deepfake technology.
To address these risks, amendments to the Information Technology Rules 2021 notified in February 2026 require social media platforms to deploy technical measures to prevent the creation and spread of unlawful AI-generated content. Platforms must also clearly label synthetic media that is permitted on their services.
As AI-generated content becomes easier to produce and distribute, policymakers are now weighing additional steps to ensure the digital world remains not just innovative, but safe for its most vulnerable users.
