Flipkart Wholesale, the digital B2B marketplace of the e-commerce giant declared its plans to more than triple its geographical footprint in India to close to 2,700 cities. The intention is to make business easier and bring prosperity to lakhs of small businesses and Kiranas across the country.

Initiated in September 2020, Flipkart Wholesale has witnessed strong growth in the first half of 2021 spearheaded by the adoption of e-commerce by retailers and kiranas. E-commerce implementation by kiranas on Flipkart Wholesale doubled in January-June this year compared to previous year. This is predictable to see 180 per cent growth in July-December 2021, as against the same period last year. Flipkart Wholesale competes with players such as udaan, Amazon and Reliance’s JioMart which are also making vast inroads into this space.

“We launched Flipkart Wholesale with an aim to bring prosperity to the B2B retail ecosystem and solve local pain points of kiranas across the country,” said Adarsh Menon, senior vice president and head-Flipkart Wholesale. “Despite challenges induced by the pandemic, we have seen a strong response from kiranas who are now realizing the benefits of digitization and warming up to e-commerce as the go-to means of purchase.”

Flipkart Wholesale has also seen a flow in suppliers that have come on board on the digital B2B marketplace. The supplier base is likely to grow 58 per cent in 2021. This will further boost the local business ecosystem as well as livelihoods. The firm recently rebranded its Best Price cash-and-carry business which it acquired from Walmart India in 2020, while staying committed to the growth and prosperity of kiranas in India through an omnichannel business model.

Flipkart Wholesale witnessed 17 per cent growth in its kirana customer base in January-June 2021 compared to the same period previous year; reinstating the trust Kiranas have shown towards the platform. The kirana customer base is probable to further grow by 33 per cent in July-December 2021, compared to the same period last year.

Kiranas would maintain to be Flipkart Wholesale’s most important customer segment. They would get access to an even better product assortment at great prices, credit offers, payment options and end-to-end service via feet-on-street associates, app and cash-and-carry stores. The rebranding to Flipkart Wholesale would be seamless for kiranas who would enjoy the same convenience as before. With this, all Best Price touchpoints would now be Flipkart Wholesale making it an eminent omnichannel B2B player.

Flipkart Wholesale leverages the Flipkart Group’s experience and prowess in the digital space. This aids to better serve kiranas and retailers who are increasingly adopting e-commerce as their preferred mode of purchase. Flipkart Wholesale helps over 1.5 million members across the country, which include kiranas, HoReCa (hotels, restaurants and cafeterias) and O&I (offices and institutions).