Flipkart Wholesale sees 70% e-commerce adoption by kiranas at festive sale

E-commerce firm Flipkart’s flagship sale event, The Big Billion Days, concluded on October 10. Flipkart Wholesale, the digital B2B marketplace of the e-commerce firm, witnessed 70 per cent e-commerce adoption by kiranas across the country compared to the same period last year. Over 500,000 kiranas across 10,000 pin codes in 24 states and union territories shopped on the platform and through the Flipkart Wholesale Best Price stores during the festive event.

Flipkart Wholesale said it continues its focus of digitising Kiranas and the retail ecosystem. It saw a 30 per cent increase in the number of kirana members on the platform this Big Billion Days. Coming from cities such as Bhopal, Kota, Lucknow, Zirakpur, kirana members clocked in 1.8x increase in sales. The general merchandise category on Flipkart Wholesale saw a 124 per cent increase in purchases, followed by grocery that witnessed a 50 per cent rise in demand and fashion increased by 24 per cent.

“Our technology-first approach at helping small businesses grow has resulted in increased adoption of e-commerce and accelerated the pace of digitisation,” said Adarsh Menon, senior vice president and head - Flipkart Wholesale. “The benefits of a more resilient and self-reliant B2B eco-system enabled by digitisation will be felt in the long run. With this, we look forward to enhancing our value proposition through digitisation for kiranas and retailers.”

Indicating a shift in trend to digital commerce for B2B, over 45 per cent of Flipkart Wholesale’s member base transacted online. About 35 per cent of them opted for self-service as they overcame trust and convenience challenges with e-commerce. The platform also saw 50 per cent jump in deliveries per day.

Flipkart Wholesale’s credit support saw massive uptake, as about 150,000 kiranas were offered up to 14 days' interest-free credit through an end-to-end digital process and Buy Now Pay Later option with credit line ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25 lakh offered in partnership with Banks and Fintech lenders. Along with its banking and financial services partners the platform was able to facilitate credit up to the tune of Rs 165 crore for members across categories during the Big Billion Days.

Offices and Institutes also took to e-commerce with over 5,400 customers claiming GST benefits on their wholesale purchases this Big Billion Days.

Launched in 2020, Flipkart Wholesale expanded its reach at a rapid pace to serve kiranas and MSMEs, including from smaller towns of the country. The platform offers a wide range of selection across categories spanning the length and breadth of everything that consumers need- be it fashion, grocery or general merchandise.

Flipkart Wholesale leverages the Flipkart Group’s experience, understanding of the industry and ability in the digital space to serve kiranas and retailers better. They are increasingly adopting e-commerce as their preferred mode of purchase. Flipkart Wholesale serves over 1.5 million members across the country, which include kiranas, HoReCa (hotels, restaurants and cafeterias) and O&I (offices and institutions).