Flipkart Wholesale sees 3x increase in digital adoption among kiranas in Bharat: Flipkart Wholesale, the digital B2B marketplace of India’s homegrown Flipkart Group, today announced the strengthening of its commitment towards the growth and prosperity of kiranas through initiatives planned to enhance their in-app experience on the back of increased e-commerce adoption.
Flipkart Wholesale, together with Best Price cash-and-carry business, serves over 1.5 million members across the country, which include kiranas, HoReCa (hotels, restaurants and cafeterias) and O&I (offices and institutions).
Best Price cash-and-carry business has seen a 3x increase in e-commerce adoption among kiranas in tier 2 and tier 3 cities from January 2021 to June 2021, signalling that Bharat is warming up to e-commerce.
Interesting trends have emerged from Best Price where one in every three customers is now transacting online through the Best Price app and website. Flipkart Wholesale is also witnessing high organic adoption of e-commerce among its Best Price members and more than half of them are now transacting online without assistance.
Dairy and fresh produce categories at Best Price have seen a 2x spike in the number of members from January 2021 to June 2021, leading to a boost in farmer livelihoods. The membership base for stationery items and electronic appliances categories has also doubled in this period as most of the population continues to work from home.
Adarsh Menon, Senior Vice President and Head – Flipkart Wholesale, said, “Flipkart Wholesale is built on the core value proposition of bringing prosperity to Indian kiranas by making their business easier using technology. All our efforts are aimed at helping small businesses which have emerged as self-starters in adopting e-commerce to make purchases. We believe our cutting-edge digital solutions will solve local pain points of kiranas, herald a new era in the B2B ecosystem and make the country’s supply chain more resilient and self-reliant.”
Small retailers who buy products from Flipkart Wholesale, which includes 29 Best Price cash-and-carry stores, can avail of a cashless ‘Digital payment on delivery’ when they receive their products. Last month, Flipkart Wholesale also introduced ‘Cash on delivery’ as a payment mode to all Best Price members who order through the Best Price app. This has helped kiranas manage their operating costs and improve liquidity.
Keeping in mind the working capital needs of small retailers given the current challenging environment, Flipkart Wholesale has also rolled out instant short-term collateral-free credit solutions to its members in partnership with banks and fintech lenders. Under this, kiranas can avail of up to 14 days of interest-free credit ranging from Rs 10,000 up to Rs 25 lakh through an end-to-end digital process.
Flipkart Wholesale customers have access to an array of value propositions including an easy credit facility to manage cash flow, a wide range of Flipkart-assured quality products, simple and convenient order returns and speedy product delivery directly to their shops with an easy order tracking facility and better margins on every product.
Know More About the Flipkart Group
The Flipkart Group is one of India’s leading digital commerce entities and includes group companies Flipkart, Myntra, and Flipkart Wholesale. Started in 2007, Flipkart has enabled millions of consumers, sellers, merchants, and small businesses to be a part of India’s e-commerce revolution, with a registered customer base of over 300 million, offering over 150 million products across 80+ categories. Our efforts to democratize e-commerce in India, drive access and affordability, delight customers, create lakhs of jobs in the ecosystem and empower generations of entrepreneurs and MSMEs have inspired us to innovate on many industry firsts.
The recent launch of Flipkart Wholesale, our new digital marketplace, is a testament to our commitment to accelerate the growth of kiranas and MSMEs in India. Flipkart is known for pioneering services such as Cash on Delivery, No Cost EMI and easy returns – customer-centric innovations that have made online shopping more accessible and affordable for millions of Indians. Together with Myntra, which holds a prominent position in the online fashion market, and now Flipkart Wholesale, the Flipkart Group will continue to steer the transformation of commerce in India through technology.
