E-commerce battle intensifies: Amazon, Flipkart announce sale dates

Amazon will kick off its sale from May 11 till 14, Flipkart will hold its sale between May 14 & 18

Months ahead of the festive season, e-commerce majors Flipkart and Amazon have announced big sales, wooing customers with deals and big discounts.

 

The two players are locked in an intense battle for leadership in the burgeoning e-commerce market in the country.

 

While Amazon will kick off its 'Great India Sale' from May 11 till 14, Flipkart will hold its 'Big 10' sale between May 14 and 18.

 

Flipkart's 'Big 10' sale is different from its flagship 'The Big Billion Days' sale and is being held to mark the 10-year anniversary of the online marketplace.

 

"The Big 10 sale is our biggest by far after Big Billion Days... Customers can expect the same scale and service as they do during our flagship Big Billion Days," Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said in a statement.

Also Read: It's Amazon vs Flipkart: A look at the e-commerce dynamism in India 

 

The sales will see the players offering deals on products across categories like fashion, smartphones, electronics, smart televisions and home decor.

 

In April, Flipkart received a funding of $1.4 billion from eBay, Microsoft, and Tencent, while Amazon has also pledged investments worth $5 billion into the Indian market.

 

The US online retailer lost out to Flipkart by a sizeable margin in the Diwali sale last October, and continues to lag behind its local rival by around 25 per cent in terms of gross merchandise value (GMV). Amazon says that the sale will offer consumers great deals on popular brands, fast deliveries and easy returns on the 100 million odd products on sale in India. Moreover, the company is looking to cash in on its prime subscriber base with access to exclusive deals.

 

Further, Amazon isn't just leaving it up to discounts to win customers, but has partnered with Citibank to offer 10 per cent cashback on its website and 15 per cent on its app. Further, customers shopping on Amazon's app will get a Rs 1,000 discount on domestic hotels booked through Yatra.com for a purchase of above Rs 500 on its platform. 

 

Also Read: India's e-commerce market still nascent, says Amazon's Bezos

According to a Google-AT Kearney report, the number of online shoppers in India is estimated to grow 3.5 times to touch 175 million by 2020, from 50 million in 2015.