From groceries to smartphones: Flipkart’s hyperlocal deliverance

From grocery space laggard, Flipkart is aiming to not just draw level with its rivals, but overtake them. Along the way, it could finally realise Walmart’s vision for it

While Flipkart bit the groceries bullet a while ago, it’s only now coming around to offering fresh produce

For the last year, Flipkart has been running a fruits and vegetables pilot in Hyderabad, trying to crack the complex supply chain for perishables

Even as it tries to crack the notoriously tough grocery market, it plans to develop hyperlocal delivery with grocery, and wants to extend this even to products like smartphones

Ambitious, sure. Easy? Not in the least. Flipkart must solve myriad issues which have stumped e-commerce firms and pure-play grocers alike

On 22 August, Amazon gained a yard on its peers in the grocery race in India. It launched Amazon Fresh, a hyperlocal grocery distribution chain which delivers over 5,000 items—including fruits, meat and dairy—within two hours. After rolling out the service in rival Flipkart’s home turf of Bengaluru, Amazon is now closer to cracking the hyperlocal supply chain—the delivery of products within mere hours—something it has struggled with in the past.

The Indian grocery market is currently a $400-$500 billion market, according to Ankur Pahwa, head of e-commerce and consumer internet at advisory services firm EY.

AUTHOR

Abinaya Vijayaraghavan

Abinaya is a Bengaluru-based writer, covering the sprawling and exciting world of Indian e-commerce. When she is not trying to understand alpha sellers and complex supply chains, she enjoys travelling and playing badminton. Abinaya was previously a reporter at Reuters.

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