Kolkata, Dec 28 (Agency) Over a million small retailers in the country and hundreds of MSMEs continue to repose faith on online platforms and digitisation as the entire retail ecosystem opts for e-commerce as a mode of doing business during the challenging times of the pandemic. Flipkart Group’s B2B businesses — Flipkart Wholesale and Best Price cash-and-carry stores — have witnessed an increased uptake of e-commerce in 2020.
Flipkart Wholesale, the digital B2B marketplace of India’s homegrown Flipkart Group which was launched in September, and 29 Best Price modern wholesale stores enabled growth and prosperity for small kiranas by offering a wide range of selections at great prices, according to a release issued here. Speaking about the increased adoption of e-commerce at Flipkart’s B2B businesses this year, Adarsh Menon, Senior Vice-President and Head, Flipkart Wholesale and Walmart India, said, “As India’s leading omni-channel B2B marketplace, we strive towards making e-commerce inclusive for every small kirana and drive growth for every MSME in the country. As the entire retail ecosystem was grappling with unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, suppliers and buyers came together seamlessly to unlock the potential of technology and e-commerce.
‘At Best Price, during the lockdown, we encouraged members to place orders on our e-commerce platform and have products delivered to them. We also launched a revamped Best Price app and website and saw order volumes surge through our e-commerce channels. Our members adapted very quickly to ordering online and we believe this trend will continue going forward. Flipkart Wholesale, launched in September, has also seen tremendous success from retailers who can now order fashion products just at the touch of a button. We have consistently worked towards creating an ecosystem that serves kiranas’ growing needs and helping Indian MSMEs access the pan-India market more effectively and we will step up our efforts in the coming year as well,’ the statement quoted him as saying. Flipkart Wholesale app which currently offers fashion products — clothing, footwear and accessories — to retailers across 23 cities has also just launched the grocery category in NCR on its platform.
Fashion retailers, who were not able to travel to fashion hubs for sourcing products in the aftermath of COVID-19, came on board Flipkart Wholesale which is a one-stop destination for a wide selection of men’s wear, women’s wear, kidswear and footwear from hundreds of suppliers across all the fashion mandis of India such as Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Kanpur, Delhi, Surat, Agra, Tirupur, among others.