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Tag: flipkart

  • Australian homewares brand Anko expands in India with Flipkart

    Australian homewares brand Anko expands in India with Flipkart

    Australian Kmart-owned homewares brand Anko has teamed up with e-commerce giant Flipkart to expand its footprint in India.

    Indian shoppers can now peruse about 400 Anko products across multiple categories on Flipkart, and the company says it plans to increase its range in the near future.

    The Australian retailer announced its debut in India earlier this year and reported strong growth from both metropolitan and tier 2, and 3 cities.

    “This strategic alliance will allow us to reach a wider audience and meet the growing demand for high-quality and affordable homeware products across the country,” said Pulkit Bansal, country head at Anko India.

    “Through Flipkart’s Brand Mall, Anko will have a prominent presence with a dedicated presence across platforms, ensuring easy access for customers. Additionally, Anko products will be listed under Flipkart Plus assured listings, offering customers a guarantee of quality and reliability.”

    Anko is sold through more than 300 stores in Australia and New Zealand, as well as other international markets. The brand focuses on providing advanced shopping experiences with responsibly sourced products.

    Anko is Kmart Australia’s house brand. The Anko name was introduced in 2019 as part of Kmart’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

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  • India’s Tata launches “super app” in challenge to Amazon, Walmart

    India’s Tata launches “super app” in challenge to Amazon, Walmart

    India’s Tata Group on Thursday launched its much-awaited e-commerce “super app” offering everything from apparel to air tickets in a renewed push for a slice of a fast growing market dominated by Amazon.com and Walmart’s Flipkart.

    Tata Neu, which has been in the works for about two years, is a single platform for the group’s brands, including Westside fashion, Air Asia tickets, Croma electronics, the Taj group of hotels, BigBasket online grocery and 1mg online pharmacy.

    “Our aim is to make the lives of Indian consumers simpler and easier,” Tata’s Chairman N Chandrasekaran said on LinkedIn, adding that its joint venture airline Vistara and recently acquired Air India, as well as watch brand Titan will be available on the app soon.

    The 154-year-old group, which raked in $103 billion in revenue in 2020-21, is a leading player in steelmaking, IT outsourcing and utilities but arguably best known internationally as the owner of British luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover. It also makes cars at home under its own brand.

    Tata also has an expansive offline retail portfolio, including a joint venture with Starbucks Corp. Its fashion and watch stores are ubiquitous on Indian high streets and it operates stores for Inditex fashion brand Zara.

    Despite launching the Tata CliQ online marketplace in 2016, the group has been a minnow in an e-commerce market widely projected to be worth $200 billion by 2026. With Tata Neu the group is determined to change that, sources told Reuters last year.

    Tata Neu will offer a membership program and a cross-brand loyalty scheme where customers can earn and redeem rewards while making purchases on the app.

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  • Flipkart Enters Strategic Alliance with Google Cloud to Advance Innovation in a Digital-first Future

    Flipkart Enters Strategic Alliance with Google Cloud to Advance Innovation in a Digital-first Future

    Google Cloud and Flipkart, India’s homegrown consumer internet ecosystem, have entered into a multi-year strategic partnership to help fast-track Flipkart’s innovation and cloud strategy. This partnership will propel Flipkart into its next phase of growth and advance its vision of onboarding India’s next 200 million shoppers and lakhs of sellers.

    Working together, Google Cloud will help Flipkart:

    • Scale on Google Cloud’s infrastructure to reach more Flipkart customers — By leveraging Google Cloud’s secure and scalable global infrastructure and advanced networking technologies, Flipkart will be able to deliver robust app access and performance even during peak purchase seasons with heightened traffic. Flipkart will also continue to advance the pace of new product development by building on Google Cloud, furthering its expansion into Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets in India.

    • Accelerate data-led innovation to unlock customer insights — Flipkart will make its data platform more efficient by deploying Google Cloud’s advanced data analytics and machine learning technologies. This will enable the company to better analyze traffic and transactional data, unlock rich real-time insights into customer purchasing and shopping behavior,  identify trends and patterns with increased demand and create more personalized recommendations to enrich customer experience.

    • Advancing productivity and collaboration globally with Google Workspace — As a long time Google Workspace customer, Flipkart will expand its use of the flexible, innovative solution across its rapidly growing workforce to create innovative human-centered employee experiences and deepen connections in this new hybrid work environment.

    Jeyandran Venugopal, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Flipkart said, “Our strategic alliance with Google Cloud will enable us to accelerate our digital transformation, power productivity and advance our innovation agenda. We are excited by Google Cloud’s unique strengths and experience in AI/ML and its proven scalability and security, all of which will be critical in our next phase of growth.”

    “Flipkart’s growth in India has been powered by its digital-first strategy and forward thinking approach to cloud technology. As the company continues to scale and grow its ecommerce platform, we will work together to drive technological innovations and help Flipkart drive breakthrough businesses in the future,” said Bikram Singh Bedi, Managing Director,  Google Cloud India.

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  • India court quashes Amazon, Walmart’s Flipkart bid to stall antitrust probe

    India court quashes Amazon, Walmart’s Flipkart bid to stall antitrust probe

    An Indian court on Friday dismissed appeals by Amazon.com and Walmart’s Flipkart that sought to stall an antitrust investigation into their business practices, dealing a major setback to the U.S. firms in a key market.

    The Competition Commission of India (CCI) last year ordered an inquiry after allegations from brick-and-mortar retailers that the U.S. firms promoted select sellers on their e-commerce platforms and used to business practices that stifle competition.

    The investigation was on hold for more than a year after companies challenged it, denying wrongdoing and arguing that the CCI lacked evidence, but a court allowed it to continue in June. On Friday, the High Court in southern Karanataka state rejected the U.S. firms’ appeals.

    “By no stretch of imagination can inquiry be quashed at this stage. The appeals are nothing but an attempt to ensure that action initiated by the CCI … does not attain finality,” a two-judge bench said while reading the decision in court. “The appeals are devoid of merit, and deserve to be dismissed.-

    The two firms are likely to appeal the decision at India’s Supreme Court, according to people familiar with the case. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Flipkart said in a statement it would review the court’s order, adding that it remains in compliance with Indian laws.

    Abir Roy of Sarvada Legal, which filed the antitrust case against Amazon and Flipkart on behalf of a trader group, said the court’s decision “further reinforces that the CCI investigation should continue promptly.”

    The CCI investigation is the latest setback for Amazon and Flipkart, which are grappling with prospects of tougher e-commerce regulations and accusations from brick-and-mortar retailers that the companies circumvent Indian law by creating complex business structures.

    The companies face several allegations in the case, including exclusive launches of mobile phones, promotion of select sellers on their websites and deep discounting practices that drive out competition.

    Trade minister Piyush Goyal last month lashed out at U.S. e-commerce giants for filing legal challenges and failing to comply with the CCI’s investigation, saying “if they have nothing to hide … why don’t they respond to the CCI?”

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  • India to expedite Amazon, Flipkart antitrust probe

    India to expedite Amazon, Flipkart antitrust probe

    India’s antitrust watchdog plans to expedite a restarted probe into allegations of anti-competitive behavior at Amazon.com Inc and Walmart Inc’s Flipkart, as it intensifies scrutiny of big-tech firms, two people close to the matter said.

    The comments come as major U.S. technology firms including Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc are at loggerheads with the government over issues such as data privacy bills and policies some industry executives have called protectionist.

    The Competition Commission of India (CCI) initiated a probe in January last year on the basis of a complaint alleging Amazon and Flipkart promoted select sellers on their e-commerce platforms and that deep discounts stifled competition.

    The companies have denied wrongdoing.

    Near-immediate legal challenges from the pair stalled the probe for over a year until a court last week allowed it to resume, having dismissed arguments that the CCI lacked evidence.

    Though Amazon and Flipkart are likely to appeal, the CCI plans to demand information from them related to the allegations “as quickly as possible”, said one of the people, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

    The investigation “will be expedited”, the person said. Such investigations in India typically take months to complete.

    Amazon declined to comment. Flipkart and the CCI did not respond to requests for comment.

    The CCI is speeding up all cases involving big technology firms, including by deploying additional officers for some cases and working to more stringent internal deadlines, said the two people, who are familiar with the watchdog’s thinking.

    “Cases involving digital firms are getting a priority at CCI as they can have a significant impact on the economy and Indian startups,” said one of the people.

    Last year, the CCI began reviewing allegations of Google abusing the position of its Android operating system in the smart TV market, and is likely to soon order a comprehensive antitrust investigation, the people said.

    Google declined to comment.

    Such a probe would be the third against Google, with the Alphabet Inc unit already battling cases relating to Android as well as its payment app.

    The CCI is also investigating practices at MakeMyTrip Ltd and privacy policy changes at Facebook’s WhatsApp.The probe into Amazon and Flipkart is restarting at a time when both are battling accusations from offline retailers that their complex business structures allow them to circumvent foreign investment rules for e-commerce.

    Amazon, which has said it “does not give preferential treatment to any seller”, told the court here it disagreed with the report.

    The antitrust body will examine the Reuters report and could use it as part of its investigation, one of the people said.

    “The CCI’s plan to move faster on such cases is in line with other antitrust regulators globally that are investigating digital markets like e-commerce and online search, which are dynamic and evolving fast,” said an Indian antitrust lawyer who represents tech firms.

  • India’s Flipkart mulls US listing

    India’s Flipkart mulls US listing

    Walmart Inc.’s Flipkart is exploring going public in the U.S. through a merger with a blank-check company as it seeks to quicken its listing process, according to people familiar with the matter.

    The Bengaluru-based online retailer has been weighing a U.S. initial public offering and it’s now also looking at other options, the people said. Flipkart’s advisers have approached several SPACs, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is not public. Flipkart could seek a valuation of at least $35 billion in a blank-check transaction, the people said.

    Deliberations are at an early stage and Flipkart could still explore other options, the people said. A representative for Flipkart had no immediate comment.

    The e-commerce firm is joining other Indian firms like online grocer Grofers in exploring a U.S. listing through SPAC deals. ReNew Power last week agreed to merge with a U.S.-listed special purpose acquisition company in a deal that will give India’s biggest renewable power producer an enterprise value of $8 billion.

    Merging with SPACs, which are shell companies that raise money from public investors intending to acquire a business within two years, will allow Walmart to take its India unit to market at a faster pace than the usual IPO route. As many as 10 Indian companies could go public through SPAC deals before the end of the year, Utpal Oza, head of investment banking for India at Nomura Holdings Inc., said in an interview.

    Flipkart, which is battling with e-commerce arch-rival Amazon.com Inc. and Mukesh Ambani’s retail venture for market share in India, started operations in 2007 and now sells 80 million products on its platforms. Walmart acquired a majority stake in Flipkart in a $16 billion deal in 2018.

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  • Flipkart loses bid to sell food online

    Flipkart loses bid to sell food online

    Amazon-owned Flipkart has been blocked from entering the food-retail business by Indian regulators who had deliberated for almost a year on an application.

    Subsidiary Flipkart FarmerMart had applied to sell foodstuffs grown or manufactured in India online via its marketplace and on apps. However the company was told by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) marketplace, it cannot add food to its platform as a foreign-owned retailer.

    Foreign direct investment in retail has long been a controversial issue in India and only in the last several years have multinational retail giants been allowed to enter the market, usually with strict requirements for a proportion of goods they sell to have been manufactured in India.

    The government has recently tried to tighten laws to ensure companies like Amazon only act as third-party marketplaces, allowing local companies to sell on its platforms, rather than develop their own inventories and become retailers in their own right.

    Flipkart had, however, been hoping to form supplier alliances with farmers and growers to create its own brands – rather than import all of the products it would sell.

    Establishing such strong supply agreements would also potentially have helped Flipkart expand into the brick-and-mortar retail market.

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  • India’s Flipkart applies for food-retailing licence

    India’s Flipkart applies for food-retailing licence

    Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart has filed for approval from regulatory authorities to conduct food retail in the territory.

    According to a Times of India report, The Walmart-owned business has made the application with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade with the expectation of a decision within three months.

    The firm registered an online grocery business in October last year under the brand name Flipkart FarmerMart. According to reported figures, the firm will make an investment of ₹2,500 crore (US$338,000) in the venture.

    Initial plans will see the firm delivering customer purchases via local “kirana” stores partnering with the Flipkart business.

    The firm will “focus on deep agri-supply chain investment, especially at the farm gate level and will encourage demand-driven sowing, which will help farmers produce right fruits and vegetables and get paid as per market price”.

    Flipkart competitor Amazon has held a food retail license in India since 2017.

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  • Indian authorities investigate e-commerce giants over anti-trust accusations

    Indian authorities investigate e-commerce giants over anti-trust accusations

    Bezos, whose worth has been estimated at more than $110 billion, is officially in India for a meeting of business leaders in New Delhi.

    But the Competition Commission of India announced Monday that it was investigating Amazon and its main rival in the domestic market, the Walmart-owned Flipkart, over accusations they had killed off small businesses by favoring “preferred sellers” on their platforms.

    Media reports said Bezos has sought a meeting with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but neither the government nor Amazon would confirm if talks would be held.

    Amazon has said it will cooperate with the investigation and was “confident” it was operating legally.

    But traders across India said they would stage protests during the visit to demand the government takes action against Amazon.

    The merchants accuse Amazon and Flipkart of flouting foreign investment rules and pouring billions of dollars into discounts that force traditional traders out of business.

    Flipkart was Indian owned until bought by Walmart for $16 billion in 2018 following a bidding war with Amazon.

    The Confederation of All India Traders, which says it represents 70 million small businesses, vowed “strong protests” in 300 cities — including New Delhi, where Bezos was to speak on Wednesday at the Amazon business summit.

    The competition commission said it will report in 60 days, but its inquiries normally take a lot longer.

    Last year it fined Google $21 million for “search bias” and abusing its dominant position.

    After arriving Tuesday, Bezos paid tribute to India’s independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, dressing in an Indian kurta to lay flowers at a memorial in Delhi.

    He described Gandhi in a Twitter message as someone who “truly changed the world”.

    Bezos will also visit India’s financial capital Mumbai, where he will reportedly attend a party with Bollywood celebrities on Thursday evening.

    Since its launch in India in 2016, the company’s streaming platform Amazon Prime has partnered with the who’s who of Bollywood to produce entertainment content in several Indian languages.

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  • India’s Flipkart to enter food retailing, launch private label

    India’s Flipkart to enter food retailing, launch private label

    Walmart-owned Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart is launching a food retail business.

    The new initiative will see the firm release its own private label, Flipkart Farmermart, as well as a grocery supply chain and potentially physical stores.

    A spokesman for the firm told news outlet Moneycontrol that Flipkart plans to “deepen its penetration in the food retail space, take on Amazon, and run a farm-to-fork operation,” with the board consenting to invest ₹2,500 crore (US$350,000) to expand its operations in the grocery business.

    The firm plans to leverage parent company Walmart’s experience in the cash-and-carry sector in the territory, which has helped build connections in the farming industry for grocery and food produce.

    Research shows that just 0.15 percent of Indian nationals buy online, although this figure is expected to increase exponentially over the next few years.

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  • Myntra hires tailors as delivery agents to reduce returns

    Myntra hires tailors as delivery agents to reduce returns

    Myntra, a Flipkart-owned Indian fashion platform has roped in local tailors to pick up packages from warehouses and deliver to customers to mend the sales gap caused by the return of ill-fitting clothes.

    The move is set to minimize business losses by cutting down on the return of clothes and refunds, says GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

    Tying up with local tailors in apparel delivery is not a new concept and companies such as Raymond and Birla-owned Abof.com took initiatives to partner with local tailors as the last-mile delivery agent.

    Shagun Sachdeva, a consumer insights analyst at GlobalData, says Myntra started offering alteration services in Bengaluru back in 2016.

    “The company is now looking to address the discomfort of consumers in searching for tailors for altering purposes. This is aimed at mending the sales gap and at the same time improving customer satisfaction by fixing fitting flaws on the doorstep.”

    According to GlobalData, online retail in India accounted for US$17.2 billion in 2017 and is projected to reach $69.9 billion by 2022.

    In line with this growth, the online retailing of clothing in India grew exponentially in the last few years, reaching $5 billion last year, owing to increasing penetration of the internet and discounts offered by online retailers.

    The market is currently fragmented, with market leader Amazon commanding just 5 percent market share across all categories. Therefore, in order to break the clutter, companies such as Myntra are finding innovative ways to please the customers.

    Sachdeva says Myntra has reduced its losses from $96 million in 2017 to $22 million last year and aims to turn itself profitable down the line.

    “Such loss-reducing measures might be helpful.”

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  • Indian traders lobby for ban on Flipkart, Amazon sales

    Indian traders lobby for ban on Flipkart, Amazon sales

    The Confederation of All India Traders is asking the government to ban pending sales events to be held by e-commerce rivals Amazon and Flipkart.

    The confederation, which represents 500,000 merchants and traders within the country, claims that the heavily discounted online sales violate India’s restrictions on online retail for foreign firms.

    “By offering deep discounts ranging from 10 percent to 80 percent on their e-commerce portals, these companies are clearly influencing the prices and create an uneven level playing field which is in direct contravention of the policy,” read a letter from the retailer body to the federal trade minister.

    Both online firms have defended the sales festivals, claiming they offer best value for money to consumers and help small-scale retailers reach broader markets.

    India forbids foreign investors from direct involvement in inventory-driven models of e-commerce in order to protect the country’s retailers who are unable to compete on price.

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  • Walmart-owned Flipkart opens experience centre

    Walmart-owned Flipkart opens experience centre

    Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart has opened a physical furniture experience centre in Bengaluru.

    The Walmart-owned firm’s 1800sqft store will retail around nine furniture brands, and is likely to be followed by two more similar outlets in the country.

    “The furniture category has traditionally had a strong presence offline,” said VP of furniture, electronics and private labels Adarsh Menon, “because customers like to see and touch the products they are buying. We understand the requirements of customers and hence ‘FurniSure’”.

    Industry competitor Ikea launched in India last year, attracting extensive queues.

    Flipkart is also seeking to launch an offline supermarket.

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  • H&M and Indian marketplaces Collaboration

    H&M and Indian marketplaces Collaboration

    Swedish fast-fashion label H&M is partnering with Indian marketplaces Jabong and Myntra to sell online.

    The association with the two local partners is structured to meet Indian regulations forbidding marketplaces from forming exclusive associations with brands, despite both Flipkart-owned e-commerce firms owning full online rights to eight global fashion brands.

    The Swedish retailer has been trading online in the country for around one year. The new Indian deal – the brand’s second territory permitting online trade on an external platform after China – will allow Jabong and Myntra exclusive access to the brand’s online sales for a period of six years.

    H&M items are expected to begin trading on the Jabong and Myntra Indian marketplaces within three to four months, while the brand makes preparations to open physical stores within India.

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  • Indian fashion chain Reliance Trends to open over 2,000 stores

    Indian fashion chain Reliance Trends to open over 2,000 stores

    Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries will expand its low-cost fashion store network Reliance Trends to 2500 locations within five years.

    The chain currently has just 557 stores in 160 cites, and will target a presence in 140 more, involving deeper penetration into tier 3 and 4 cities.

    The planned expansion will involve an integration with the firm’s online activities and will serve as a gambit to seize a commanding market share of consumer spending against e-commerce competitors Amazon and Flipkart.

    The move follows recent restrictions on foreign investment into India that have at least temporarily disadvantaged the online giants. The new legislation bans online retailers from making exclusive contracts with vendors, among other restrictions.

    The Reliance Trends expansion is expected to help the firm boost its own labels in a territory that is home to the world’s largest population of millennial consumers.

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