Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
flipkart

Homegrown e-commerce company Flipkart has launched of its grocery delivery service ‘Supermart’. Apparently, the service has been made available on its mobile app to a small set of customers in Bengaluru.

Flipkart has been working on making its foray into the FMCG segment since quite sometime. It was earlier reported that the company had launched a pilot for its grocery delivery service in Bengaluru for its employees.

Confirming this soft-launch of its new service, Flipkart spokesperson said:

We have done a soft launch for grocery categories at Flipkart. Currently, it is available to select customers in Bengaluru. In line with our aim of transforming ecommerce in the country through technology, we want to make shopping for everyday essentials convenient for our customers, we intend to scale it up to all customers in Bengaluru and take it to other cities in future.

The mobile reveals that the grocery marketplace ‘Supermart’ requires a minimum order worth ₹500. To be eligible for free delivery, users need to place order worth at least ₹1,000.

However, this is not the company’s first attempt to enter the grocery delivery market. Earlier, in October 2015, Flipkart had launched pilot project with a separate grocery delivery app named ‘Nearby’, which failed to take off.

Amazon India, the biggest rival of Flipkart in India, already has a presence in this sector. In early 2016, the company had launched Amazon Now, which as per the reports, has seen repeat purchases leading to higher customer acquisition.

For Amazon Now mobile app, the company has a tie-up with retailers such as Big Bazaar and Hypercity for grocery delivery service in select cities.

Paytm Mall, which is the e-commerce entity of payments startup Paytm is also reportedly in talks to acquire stake in BigBasket — one of the leading hyperlocal delivery startup.

As per the reports, Flipkart is building a dedicated supply chain for its grocery service and is expected to give consumers options such as open-box delivery to verify products before buying or paying.

By Jeet