With the rising demand for quick deliveries and the uptick in quick commerce in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) segment, e-commerce major Flipkart is looking to expand its grocery offering, under its hyperlocal quick commerce service called ‘Minutes’, across the country.
19,000 pin codes
The company already delivers to over 19,000 pin codes in India, primarily in metros and tier-2 cities. Now it plans to widen its deliveries to cover the hinterland as well. For this, Flipkart will set up more dark stores across the country to make products quickly available.
“Quick commerce is a format that allows for faster deliveries. When e-commerce started, it was looking to deliver products in a day or two. Now, e-commerce has moved into metros by delivering on the same day. In metros, where we have a very decent share or presence of commerce, we are seeing a growth much higher than in metros where we are in the process of scaling. One has to balance the product assortments. Flipkart goes to 98 per cent of the country’s pin codes. If we see customer adoption happening in the last pin code also, and the demand for it, we would be the first ones to enter. There is no other player who can enter faster,” Manjari Singhal, Head of Business, Cleartrip, FMCG, and General Merchandise, Flipkart, told businessline.
Nano influencers
Further, the company is also going to partner with nano influencers to introduce video-based selling on its platform. Flipkart’s premium beauty and personal space grew 70 per cent year-on-year, and it believes that the video selling format results in direct purchases. The company believes that influencers, through social media, are reaching the smallest towns where customers want to move to newer trends
“We believe the next set of growth will come from driving inspiration through video commerce. We have seen that there is a creator ecosystem that can influence quickly. Decision-making becomes much easier. Flipkart, a shopping platform, is the right place to scale it. Brands are interested in talking to customers directly. Furthermore, there is video content that influencers create, which we host on our platform, that induces direct purchase,” added Singhal.