Flipkart partners with over 50,000 kirana stores ahead of Big Billion Days sale

Flipkart today announced that it had partnered with over 50,000 kirana store owners in preparation for its Big Billion Days sale. The Indian e-retail company said that it had significantly expanded its kirana onboarding program to make deliveries to customers in more than 850 cities. With this, the e-retailer aims to provide a fast and personalised e-commerce experience to millions of consumers while creating opportunities for the kirana store owners in the country.

To make this feat possible, Flipkart’s team initiated contactless onboarding of kirana stores via online application forms wherein kirana store owners directly uploaded their details along with the required documentation. This enabled seamless onboarding without the kirana store owners having to step out during the pandemic.

Flipkart says it brought the kirana store owners on-board the program following a detailed verification check, which was done after they had complete the documentation process. The team also organised digital training on various tools including app-based dashboards and digital payments to help kirana store owners transform their businesses from traditional general trade stores to modern convenience stores.

Partnering with kirana store owners helped the company to deliver over 1 million shipments during its Big Billion Day last year.

“Flipkart believes in technology-enabled inclusive growth by taking all the ecosystem stakeholders with us and our kirana partners are an integral part of this ecosystem. As one of the oldest retail formats in India, kiranas have one of the highest penetration and showcase effective management of the supply chain drivers such as facilities, inventory, information and sourcing, as well as in maintaining a long-standing relationship with consumers. Through a combination of their hyperlocal presence and innovations by Flipkart, this program has become a great enabler in strengthening the kirana ecosystem in the country,” Amitesh Jha, Senior Vice-President, Ekart and Marketplace, Flipkart, said in a statement.