Big Billion Day sale is clashing with a severe slowdown but here's why Flipkart is confident

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Big Billion Day sale is clashing with a severe slowdown but here's why Flipkart is confident

  • In an interview with Business Insider, Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Officer, Flipkart shares why this Big Billion Day sale is going to be the biggest for the company.

  • Looking at the access and affordability construct, Flipkart has also launched Hindi language content in its app.

  • The e-commerce giant, now owned by Walmart, is looking to beat the consumption slowdown with a wider pool of sellers, better outreach, and discounts.
Walmart-owned Flipkart is prepping for its biggest annual event – The Big Billion Day sale. There will be 50 new brands and a record number of sellers on its platform but the biggest question facing any brand or marketplace is -- where are the buyers?
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The 12-year old e-commerce startup that has grown into a giant in its own right is using at least three tools to get users to spend-- Hindi, loyalty discounts, and a wider pool of sellers and, therefore, more product offerings.

“Almost 50-60% of our business comes from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. With Hindi content, the selection and range of offers has been updated and tens and millions of new consumers can access the app a preferred language,” Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Officer, told Business Insider, adding that he hopes the upcoming sale will surpass the previous highs.

According to the firm, Hindi will be a formidable force in garnering the next 200 million users. The platform may bring in other languages too in the days to come. “We have deployed around 80-90 per cent of our resources towards Bharat with our Hindi interface being one of the biggest catalysts in this transition,” Kumar said.

Content is not restricted to offers alone. Flipkart’s latest offering is video, much like the popular Amazon Prime. Flipkart video was recently launched in Android, and will offer regional content to users.

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Indian consumers love discounts. Moreso, in the current environment of gloom.

Flipkart is hoping that its loyalty discounts, the supercoins, will come in handy in the Big Billion Day sale. “The loyalty programme is platform agnostic, so users can access different partners like Ola or buy from a different platform,” he explained.

Consumption in India has slowed down across product categories

The e-commerce giant has shifted its focus to smaller cities and towns, and that is where the cash crunch is the most acute at this point in time.

“Even if the market is a bit slow, the marketplace does more listings at a time when the market is a bit slow,” Kumar said adding that, for the first time in the company’s history, there will be over 30,000 artisans, weavers, handicrafts sellers, as well as mom-and-pop stores looking to tap into the online demand during the ongoing festive season in Indian retail.

Fashion is a key category for Flipkart in the Big Billion Day sale

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As many as 40% new customers, especially from cities and towns in Eastern part of India, have come to Flipkart to buy apparels and accessories.

“Fashion is a huge play for us this festive season as well. Our recent partnerships with Lifestyle, H&M and Nautica are testament to the fact that the consumption story is strong and brands are looking forward to capitalise on this festive season,” the company said.

SEE ASO:
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