Suresh Kumar, a native of Jaipur city, experimented with e-commerce back in 2015, without any business background or experience of managing inventory in a shop. The idea of building his own brand was too exciting to him and hence, he launched his online business – Red Rose Enterprises that offers a variety of shoes. Today, six years down the line, his brand has found its own identity and is now available to customers all across the country.
E-commerce has emerged as a game-changer in the last few years and especially since the pandemic, for small businesses who are looking to find new avenues to grow and evolve. With the help of e-commerce platforms, businesses today have access to national consumer markets and opportunities for online brand building, business growth and employment. Stories such as of Suresh Kumar showcase the true potential digital transformation can bring to local businesses.
Apart from providing a larger reach, e-commerce companies have also given MSMEs access to additional support avenues such as finance, technology and training. Flipkart for instance has been on a constant journey to innovate and find newer ways to uplift and empower all sections of society, especially small businesses.
According to Suresh Kumar, a seller on Flipkart, “Sitting in one corner of Jaipur, I witness orders coming from all across the country including states such as Karnataka, Chennai and Maharashtra – where I get maximum demand from. From listing to advertising in the right manner, the Flipkart Seller Support team has been there to constantly guide me and build my business and brand today. I am very proud of the way my business has transformed through online selling.”
Today, Flipkart has close to 21,000 sellers in the state of Rajasthan who operates in top categories such as women’s ethnic wear, mobiles, home furnishing and household. While some sellers are establishing their digital-first brands on Flipkart, some are tapping into the benefits of Flipkart’s pan-India supply chain network to reach consumers across the country.
Jitendra Thawani, another Flipkart seller from Jaipur said, “I have been selling home and kitchen appliances on Flipkart for the past 6 years. While my business had an offline presence previously, I always wanted to expand my business beyond Jaipur. Now, because of Flipkart, customers can buy my products from any part of the country. I have even got orders from Andaman & Nicobar. Flipkart has always been there to provide any kind of support and assistance I required for my business. I started with a team of two. Thanks to the growth I witnessed on Flipkart, I now have a team of 25 who help me run my online business. I have been witnessing 2x growth every year and during the year of the pandemic, I witnessed 3x growth. Flipkart not only made it easy for me to continue with my business during the pandemic, but it also helped customers sit at home and buy items of their own choice without bearing the risks of stepping out.”
Flipkart remains deeply committed to connecting lakhs of its sellers, MSMEs and artisans with customers, and keep their business operational by offering a lively marketplace to them while creating lakhs of jobs. The company continues to follow the highest safety standards and SOPs that have been developed over the past several months, to ensure that customers have access to millions of products, as they remain safe and indoors.
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