Vasanth Kumar, now the Executive Director of Max, began his career with the retail fashion chain as one of its first employees. Founded in Dubai in 2003, Max offers a gamut of fashion-forward choices to the contemporary shopper and found its niche almost immediately. After their 2005 launch in India the brand has offered everything from A-line dresses to Indo-western kurtis, from sporty men’s shorts to formal shirts. Competitive pricing and quality have ensured consistent growth. Kumar, however, attributes the company’s real growth not just to quality but also to being able to find the right audience for the brand.
Max’s popularity has grown so much that today it has 120 stores spread over 50 cities. The brand has grown at more than 30% per year and is targeting the same level of growth in the years to come, says Kumar. With over 3 million customers across 50 cities, maintaining this level of growth comes with its own baggage. Kumar’s assessment accurately deemed that the only way for a brand to do better would be by tapping into a larger audience. How did he do it? Through Flipkart.
With access to over 40 million customers across the country, Flipkart became the right partner and the right platform for Max. Why?
Here are 3 reasons Kumar cites.
An expanding customer base
With their superlative delivery cycle, Flipkart ensures the loyalty of their customers, so that their customer base of 40 million only grows as time goes by!
The right representation
The energy and dedication of the Flipkart team makes them valuable assets to sellers, who with their support, gain precious insight into the customer buying behavior and can thus improve their offerings.
The opportunity to showcase the brand
Allowing sellers to have a microsite under the larger Flipkart site further allows the brand to tap into their customer base and showcase their latest catalogue and offerings like no other.
Want to know more about selling on Flipkart? Click here
Are you always on the go? Do you often tend to miss your deliveries? No problem. There’s now a Flipkart Pickup Store near you that is tailor-made for the on-the-move generation!
Say what?
An alternate, more convenient delivery model, the Flipkart Pickup Store has been created to give you the freedom of collecting your delivery at your convenience. Currently, these stores exist in select areas in many Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Bangalore/Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Mumbai, Mysore, Pune, Silvassa, Surat, Vadodara, Vellore and Vapi.
By 2016, Flipkart Pickup Stores will expand to at least 100 more. As of now, Flipkart delivers to 10,000 of 25,000 PIN codes in India, and with Flipkart Pickup Stores, more people, especially in rural India, will have access to Flipkart’s offerings. What’s more is that for smaller, harder-to-reach areas, these Pickup Stores will be mobile delivery vans that will station themselves for 48 hours in certain pre-decided locations for customer convenience!
Tackling delivery woes
If you’re one from the hipster generation who believe that the world is your playground and eschew a permanent address, or your job keeps you jet setting across the world, Flipkart Pickup Stores are meant to make life easier for you. You can choose where you’d like to go to collect your delivery. Whether you work in a tech park or an educational institution where getting entry permissions is a cumbersome task or work on a busy schedule where you don’t know which meeting will pop up and make it impossible to come out and sign for delivery, with a Flipkart Pickup Store you can pick up orders at the time of your choosing.
Changing your online experience
In the near future, these Pickup Stores won’t just be storage centers, but also fully outfitted experience zones where you can take a trial, ask for alterations, immediately return your order if you so desire, get product demonstrations and even get an assisted buying experience. Just because you’re ordering online, with all the convenience of myriad choices and unbelievable discounts, doesn’t mean you can’t have the freedom of doing more.
How it works
With convenience and safety as its buzzwords, the process of picking up your delivery from these Pickup Stores is also easy as pie. If you choose this option while placing your order on the Flipkart mobile app, you’ll see a list of the stores along with their store timings categorized according to your PIN code. Select one, and once your order has been delivered to your chosen store, you’ll get an SMS, which will contain a 4-digit pin. Armed with this unique pin as well as a valid photo ID, you can walk into a Pickup Store and collect your order within 5 days of the day you are notified that your order has reached your chosen destination. You can also send someone else to pick up your order with the 4-digit pin and a valid photo ID if you find yourself unable to make it or are out of town. You can pay by cash or card at the Pickup Store, making it all the more easy for you. If you’re worried about what happens if the five working days expire and you don’t go to collect your order, we’d like to let you know that you’ll just get a full refund in case your order was pre-paid! Sounds too good to be true? Well, it’s true and there are no strings attached. Try it for yourself and see!
For more details on Flipkart Pickup Stores, please click here.
Writer Rick Riordan is widely known for penning best-selling fiction novels based on Greek mythology. With his first book, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Riordan won the Red House Children’s Book Award in 2006 and created a series of books that have now been adapted into a blockbuster film franchise that stars Logan Lerman and has featured actors like Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean and Uma Thurman. Riordan lives in Boston with his wife and two sons.
Vivek Tejuja spoke to Rick Riordan for Flipkart Stories. Excerpts from this interview.
Why the move to a new series? What brought on the idea?
I’ve been thinking about the idea for years. I’ve always wanted to write about Norse myths, and I got the idea about a kid waking up in Valhalla about the time I wrote my first children’s book, The Lightning Thief. This is the first time I’ve been able to actually explore the idea.
Can you tell us about Magnus? How is he different from Percy?
Magnus is a 16-year-old boy in Boston, USA who is down on his luck. His mother died two years ago under very strange circumstances, and ever since Magnus has been living on the streets. He then learns something shocking: his father is a Norse god. After that, things get very complicated…
Magnus’ tough exterior, his survival skills, and his natural distrust of adults are based on several homeless students I worked with when I was a classroom teacher, but he is also very much his own person. He’s not completely like any kid I’ve known and Magnus and Percy really are pretty different guys.
How many books will be in the series? What’s the overall story or plot of the entire series?
Right now the plan is for three books in the Magnus Chase series. I can only say that I’ll be true to the prophecies surrounding Ragnarok, and the roles that the gods are fated to play. Any more than that would be telling…
What kind of research went into writing about Norse mythology? Was it tough and exhausting?
The Norse myths have fascinated me since I was a child. I was very familiar with the myths but I brushed up by reading the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda, along with several other primary sources for the Nordic myths. The only frustrating thing is how little we have for recorded sources. The Vikings didn’t spend a lot of time writing! There are many holes in our knowledge about the Viking myths, so I had to take some educated guesses about the nature of the gods and the Nine Worlds.
How did you get started writing on mythology and interweaving it with modern life?
I’ve loved mythology since I was a child. They were my gateway into reading, and writing!
Ever since The Lightning Thief, one of my biggest delights is imagining how the ancient gods would adapt to the modern world. I totally think Thor would be a fan of action TV shows and Odin would be the world’s greatest and most annoying motivational speaker
I like to stay true to the facts where I can though. The Norse gods in my books are pretty different to the (Chris) Hemsworth and (Tom) Hiddleston characters (The Avengers) you might be familiar with…
What books are you reading right now?
Check my Goodreads reviews to see what I’ve been reading! Every time I find something worth recommending, I try to add it to the site.
How do you write? What’s your schedule like?
I do a quick outline of the chapters before I start, but it always changes as I write it. It’s good to have both a little organization and a little spontaneity.
In terms of my day-to-day schedule, I’m a hit-and-run writer. I work for perhaps an hour at a time. Then I have to get up, walk around, refresh the brain, do something else. Usually I’ll read of play my guitar or take my dog for a walk along the Charles River.
Writing a book will take me six months absolute minimum, but most of the time it takes about a year. It’s a long process, but it’s my job. And I love my job.
Writer and bibliophile, Vivek Tejuja breathes, eats and talks books and also works with books at Flipkart. Tweet to him at @vivekisms
Inherently intellectual, men who are Librans make great authors, but if you’re wondering in what specific manner their sun sign has shaped their literary masterpieces, take a look as we deconstruct the works of five legendary writers.
e.e. cummings (October 14, 1894–September 3, 1962)
It is believed that a Libran man can adapt himself to excel at any trade, but what he truly hates is being boxed into convention and following stereotypes. A stellar example of this is award-winning poet Edward Estlin Cummings, known in his own shorthand as e e cummings. Considered to be one of the most prolific poets of our time, Cummings puzzled critics through his experiments with modern poetry. In an attempt to give his work an artistic edge and beauty, Cummings broke all the rules, often ignoring conventions of grammar and creating his own words. He used unique capitalization, punctuation and structure to draw emphasis and add meaning to his work, winning the hearts of readers and several critics in the process. Take for example his poem title ‘l)a’, where Cummings cleverly uses parentheses to inject meaning and depth into a poem that features under ten words!
Oscar Wilde (October 16, 1854–November 30, 1900)
Libran men are intrinsically charming, and what better example of this than Oscar Wilde. Known as one of the wittiest writers of our time, Oscar Wilde continues to hold a very special spot in every literary enthusiast’s heart. Librans are people pleasers, and anyone who’s read The Importance of Being Earnest will tell you that the exaggerated, quirky responses to every situation make this a book you can go back to, time and again. As the sun sign suggests, Libran men also seek balance, another trait that reflects in all of Wilde’s work. The stories he’s telling, as well as the manner in which he unfolds them to the readers, are both equally wonderful and exquisite.
Harold Pinter (October 10, 1930–December 24, 2008)
A fine playwright, Harold Pinter’s writing style embodies several characteristics that Librans are associated with. The Nobel Prize winner’s works are known for their detailing—whether it is characterization or setting the scene. Librans are known to be perfectionists, and if you’ve had the pleasure of reading Pinter’s works, you’ll identify with his clever use of a pause between a dialogue to add depth to the emotions, and how he intelligently and meticulously crafts his stories to make perfect sense on multiple levels. His works are so well rounded that they make for an enriching experience, leaving nothing to be sought for. If you’re looking to familiarize yourself with Pinter’s masterpieces, give The Birthday Party and The Homecoming a read.
T.S. Eliot (September 26, 1888–January 4, 1965)
While T.S. Eliot will always be remembered as an extraordinary playwright and poet, it is his role as a critic that speaks volumes about his sun sign’s influence on his work. Librans are known to fair, critical and able of fair and just assessment, often thinking through every possibility and being particularly skilled at debating. Going by Eliot’s exhaustive work as a critic—he is known to be the greatest literary critic of the 20th century and made an indelible impact on New Criticism—it is only fair to say that his detailed and comprehensive literary reviews have helped shape the literary tastes of the people of his time. Librans are also known to be indecisive, a particularly modern trait, and Eliot’s work captures his intimate understanding of the space between black and white, between thinking and doing so perfectly in works like The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.
F. Scott Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896–December 21, 1940)
Librans have a keen eye for art and music and a developed aesthetic to be able to enjoy it in its purest form. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most popular works remain to be based on the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself to describe the 1920s, after The Great Depression ceased and jazz music and dance garnered a fan following the world over. While the period is also known by other terms, this one by Fitzgerald remains to be one of the most remembered ones. He was absolutely besotted by this period and his understanding of the Jazz Era was spot-on. He captured the essence of the decade through Tales of the Jazz Age as well as The Great Gatsby—a book he’s remembered by even today.
Heritage, tradition and roots have always been three qualities that have defined India, but for three entrepreneurs they became catchwords that changed their life. Rather than let Rajasthan’s artistic heritage decline, their endeavors have not only afforded local craftsmen, with centuries of tradition behind them, find gainful employment, but have also given them a reason to stand shoulder to shoulder with their contemporaries with inimitable pride. Here is their story.
Much like Jain, Bharat Lashkari founded 925 Silver in Jaipur almost three years ago with the ambition of popularizing Rajasthani jewelry across India. What started off as a hobby for Lashkari became a business that brought native silver craftsmanship to other parts of the country where such skill is highly valued. Taking his love of the internet and combining it with business acumen, he brought the unique jewelry of his region to households across geographical borders and turned it all into a successful, ethical online business—one that’s benefited him and the local craftsmen he employs.
Atul Gupta, employed in a government job that he found very little joy in, dreamed of being an entrepreneur. Dabbling in design, he soon found himself in awe of Rajasthani textiles and handloom that used techniques like Sanganeri block printing on cotton and silk and revealed Jaipur’s heritage like nothing else. Giving up his job, he started a home linens and furnishings company that creates typically Rajasthani motifs called Little India. Hiring local weavers, he used the endless possibilities of e-commerce to make his dream a reality.
The threads of these three stories unite to bring Rajasthan’s distinctive art to the far reaches of India, and for that, we have the extraordinary opportunity of online selling to thank. What these three entrepreneurs have in common is not only their burning desire and subsequent success in India’s booming e-commerce industry, but their vision to bring local, traditional craft to the forefront. In a day and age where more and more products are mass-produced in a factory, these companies highlight the importance of the skill and the beauty of handcrafted products. Moreover they ensure that those who are masters in these age-old crafts get steady employment and a fair price for their rare skills. Be it Rajasthani handicrafts, jewelry or home furnishings, their work has revived ethnic art that would’ve stayed local and hidden, had it not been for their foresight, vision and hard work.
This is only the beginning. These three entrepreneurs from culturally rich Rajasthan are only a scant handful of the many such enthusiastic businessmen who have understood the potential of e-commerce, and the chain effect it has in altering the lives of all the people it involves. From the entrepreneur himself as well as his artisans, to an art aficionado browsing the web in literally another part of the world, it has undoubtedly helped bring about a change in the market, bringing in dynamism along with a fresh aesthetic.
Want to learn more about selling on Flipkart? Click hereÂ
Everyone loves shopping, but how do you know who loves shopping more?
FlipkartConnect is Flipkart’s national campaign to identify and quantify trends in online shopping. Launched in Punjab, one of Flipkart’s fastest growing consumer markets, it is focused on revealing the online shopping habits of the Indian consumer. From cities that shop the most to what people shop for the most in a state, the campaign will reveal a rich array of interesting facts, trends and insights.
For example, cell phones and cell phone accessories are among the most commonly purchased items on Flipkart in Punjab. The highest number of accessories are ordered from Chandigarh even though Ludhiana tops overall sales in the state. Punjab has also seen rapid growth in Flipkart mobile app users, indicating how comfortable people are getting with the technology.
What’s the big deal about the Flipkart mobile app? A lot, actually. These insider tips tell you exactly what advantages empower you. Rest your worries and be appy!
1. App only discounts
Whether you’re a sale junkie or a bargain hunter, the Flipkart mobile app is your best bet for bigger and better discounts. Flipkart has a number of offers that are available only to customers shopping through the app. Save some money, get great deals and find out about new ones. Sounds good?
Don’t want to rely on frantic phone calls from your mom or your friends anymore? Then don’t. The Flipkart mobile app alerts you to sales, new products that might interest you or special offers that are available. As an app user, you will get every notification you need right on your smartphone, and won’t ever miss out on any opportunity, sale or discount. Yay!
4. Shop smarter
Are you one of those people who has to see a thousand similar products before you pick the best one? With the Flipkart mobile app, you can be as choosy as you want. Featuring millions of products and over 3,000 brands, the app gives you an instantly accessible and smart way to compare different products, so you can decide on one that best suits your needs and comes cheaper too. Alright!
5. Take advice and be inspired
There is no better way to make good decisions while you shop than running your choices by your friends or family first. Ping, a Flipkart mobile app feature, allows you to stay connected as you shop, so that can share your selected products and pages with them right on the app. And what if, during your walk to work or a jog around the park you see the perfect shoe or a leather briefcase that you know you’ve got to have? The Image Search option gives you the chance to take a picture right on the app, upload it and locate the same or similar product without using a thousand words to describe it. Two new features for double the fun!
6. Make your Wishlist
You can love only a few things at first glance. For everything else, there’s Wishlist! A Flipkart mobile app feature that allows you to store all those products you potentially like, but want to think about (or share with friends and make a list of pros and cons), Wishlist gives you the convenience of coming back at your leisure to view all your potential selections without making you do the hard work of finding them all over again. Shopping for a new handbag but realise you aren’t ready to take the plunge yet? Add it to your Wishlist and come back view it when you decide you’re ready. Easier than pie!
7. Save your data and memory
Not only does the app download in less than a minute, but it also uses minimal data and phone memory, so it’s a lot easier on your smartphone than shopping online. With instant access and optimal speed, you can shop faster without having to wait too long for your order to be processed. What could be better?
8. Pay easy
Paying for your online purchases has never been this easy. You can choose the effortless cash-on-delivery option or save your payment information on the app and instantly receive confirmation emails and messages on the same device. This goes a long way, as you’re not scrambling through multiple devices to keep track of your purchase and nor do you have to spend inordinate amounts of time digging out your debit or credit card from your wallet or remembering your net banking id. Whew!
9. Easy returns
Not happy? If you need to return a product or have it replaced, you can do so immediately no matter where you are. If you suddenly realize you need to cancel an order but are nowhere near a computer or don’t have the time to log on online, you can do so through the app and have your request processed immediately. Yup, that’s one more thing you don’t have to worry about.
10. Track on the fly
Selected your heart’s desire, got your friends to love it, and placed your order? Well, the only thing to do now is to wait. If you’re not good at waiting, you can get instant updates on packaging and delivery, and keep track of exactly when your order will reach you on the app. Kind of neat, even if you’re not a control freak.
What next? Don’t wait, share the appiness!
So you think that mobile shopping apps are complicated? Nothing could be further from the truth. Don’t let your apprehensions dissuade you. Most apps are built with intuitive design in mind, meant to be as easy and convenient for you as possible. The Flipkart mobile app is designed to optimize your experience. Not only does it allow you to browse an expansive selection of products, it also helps you zone in on that perfect thing you’ve always wanted. From special app-only discounts to features like Ping and Image Search, there’s a lot to discover.
1. Download it
First things first, you need to download the app. If you have an Android phone, use the Google Play Store, if you have an Apple use the IOS App Store and if you have a Windows phone access the Windows Phone Store. Download the Flipkart app directly from your phone—it takes less than a minute—and you’ve crossed the first line. Â
2. Sign up
Create an account or sign in if you have an existing Flipkart account. You can use your email or your Facebook registration for this purpose so that all your information goes to the right place. This will not only help you when you’re making a purchase, so your delivery details are already listed, but also helps the app remember what you’re looking for, identify your areas of interest and give you personalized suggestions.
3. Scroll the home screen
The first page that opens up on your app is the home screen where you’ll see the latest offers, the biggest deals, recommendations and popular products from various departments. Scroll down and see sections like Offer Zone (which gives you the best discounts), Deals of the Day (discounts valid only for 24 hours) and others like Fashion and Lifestyle, Home & Furniture, One Stop Auto Shop, etc. When you come to section like this, scroll right on your smartphone screen and see a panel of products. Like one? Click on it and you’ll see the product description, seller rating, reviews, price and more. Want to come back? Simply tap the arrow on the top left corner of your app and you’ll be back to the home screen. You can also type in what you’re looking for in the ‘What’s your wish today?’ section on the top of the app, which will give you numerous choices of your chosen product.
4. Explore the top function tabs
See those three lines stacked one on top of the other on the top left of your app? That’s the menu with all the sections loaded in case you want to browse by section such as Laptops, Small Home Appliances, Wearable Smart Devices, Personal Care Appliances etc. On the right side, do you see those three dots stacked one on top of each other? Tap it and you’ll see a way to Track your Order, access the Help Centre and other useful functions. The bell shaped icon notifies you with relevant offers, price drops or updates regarding your order while the magnifying glass helps you search for products. Click on it and you can type your query, use the voice function, take a picture of a bar code or even use Image Search to find your heart’s desire. Simple!
5. Find similar products
Once you find a product you like, give yourself a chance to really make up your mind by seeing all the other similar products to make a smart purchase decision. See that icon that looks like three rectangles fanned out? Tap that and you’ll see a plethora of products just like the one you liked. You can browse through products using filters to specify style, colour, size, brand and more. You can also sort the products by relevance, price range and popularity, which make it a lot easier to hone in on the perfect product. Take your time to scroll through this exhaustive list until you find the one you want. Make sure you check the user reviews, seller ratings and read the description before making your final decision.
6. Add to cart and pay
Made up your mind? All you need to do is tap the cart icon that saves your choice in the cart until you’re done browsing. When you want to make the payment and check out, just tap the cart icon on the top right and you’ll be taken to the billing page. If you want to buy right away, tap the orange BUY NOW button on the bottom right. Once you do that, you’ll be asked to log in if you haven’t already, and then be asked for your delivery address, where you can choose from your saved addresses or create a new address. Now you’ll be taken to the payment page where you can choose to pay by Cash on Delivery, debit or credit card, netbanking or even RuPay. Choose whichever payment option you like; you can even choose to store your card details on the secure payment page so that you can shop safely on the go.
And that’s all there is to using the app! It takes only two minutes to familiarize yourself with this intuitive shopping app, and with the amount of benefits it offers, it’s totally worth it. What say?
Browsing and buying products from all over India right on your smartphone has never been easier. If you’re wondering how to avail the multiple advantages of the Flipkart mobile app, here’s a snappy guide to download it and see for yourself.
If you’re using an Apple phone
Have an iPhone? Simply click on this link https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/flipkart/id742044692 from your phone or visit the iTunes Store and search for Flipkart. It’s totally free so all you have to do is tap the ‘Get’ button and that’s it. In less than a minute, you’ll have the app on your phone!
If you’re using an Android phone
If Google powers your smartphone, then click on this link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.flipkart.android via your phone or visit the Android Play Store and search for Flipkart. Of course, the Flipkart app is free so all you need to do is tap on the ‘Install’ button. In less than a minute, you’ll have all the power to shop.
If you’re using a Windows phone
Have a Nokia Lumia, Microsoft Lumia or any other Windows phone? Click on this link https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/apps/flipkart/9wzdncrfj356 via your phone or visit the Windows Phone Store and search for Flipkart. The app is totally free and takes less than a minute to download, so all you need to do is tap ‘Get the app’ and you’re good to go!
Next steps
Once you download the Flipkart app, sign in and browse to your heart’s content. So what are you waiting for?
As smartphones get bigger and 4G connections get faster, it’s time to get visible on the Flipkart mobile app. Most consumers already have the Flipkart mobile app downloaded, and it’s up to you to take advantage of this.
Here’s a 6-point cheat sheet for sellers to improve the visibility of their products on the Flipkart mobile app.
#1. Promote your products
With tens and thousands of products available for shoppers, how do you make sure that yours stand out? Product Listing Ads (PLA) on the Flipkart mobile app is the answer. PLA ensures that your products get highlighted and get the necessary attention from customers. PLA is a capability that will enable you to quickly create ad campaigns for the right audience on mobile and track its effectiveness. What’s more? It’s amazingly cost effective.
#2. Clear product pictures shot from different perspectives
The first impression is the most important, so ensure that you take adequate pictures and that the pictures are taken from different perspectives of the product. Also ensure that the pictures show every detail of the product so that the customer gets a clear understanding of what he/she is buying. With a smaller screen to view products on, users tend to magnify or zoom in for a more detailed view of the product, so ensure that you shoot high-resolution pictures. Remember, if your product is not adequately represented, customers will just browse to the next item. Â #3. Product description
Once the customer is happy with the images of the product they tend to look at the description to see if the product meets their requirements. Therefore, ensure you are providing correct, concise and easy to understand details of the product put up for sale. Very often sellers overlook this and do not give enough importance to communicating effectively with the customer, which leads to lost sales opportunities.
#4. Become a Flipkart Advantage seller
Flipkart Advantage ensures that goods are checked for defects, packaged properly and delivered well in time. Further, it assists both you and the customer in case a product needs to be replaced or exchanged. Well-managed logistics ensure a smooth buyer experience, and will help you get a higher rating. Higher ratings lead to better visibility as buyers prefer to shop with a proven and trustworthy supplier.
#5. Participating in spike sales
Flipkart is actively promoting sales on the mobile app by providing additional offers only for sales that take place through the app. Further, some items are only available on the Flipkart mobile app. By taking part in these promotional sales and app-only sales, your products will be more visible on the app. Flipkart helps to mobilize your sales through online advertisements, television commercials, promotions, etc. Spike sales are also advertised beforehand. Additional offers are available to the app shopper during a spike sale. A sure-shot way to increase your presence on the app is to participate in these spike sales. Also, these sales help boost sales helping you refresh your catalogue or get an idea if marginally decreasing prices can lead to increasing sales. To ensure prompt delivery Flipkart deploys additional logistics personnel during this time, too.
#6. Â Clear titles and additional information
Apart from a clear product description, title your product carefully using the keywords that describe it so that it comes up during searches. For instance, if you are listing apparel, ensure that you include ancillary information such as care instructions, washing, sizes, etc. to satisfy any queries that a customer may have about your product. Unanswered questions leads to lack of interest in your product and an abandoned sale.
Seven years ago Sachin and Binny Bansal started their entrepreneurial journey in a small two-bedroom apartment in the back alleys of Koramangala, Bangalore. Back then, no one would have imagined that their brainchild would one day become India’s largest online marketplace. Flipkart, one of the most fascinating stories in Indian business, deserved a new address.
The new Flipkart office stands testimony to a bold journey that has changed and inspired the way India shops. And you get a sense of it from the minute you step into the new facility.
At the reception, a large digital map of India projects a live feed of real-time orders being placed across the country. It is a perfect metaphor for the dynamic place that one is stepping into. The reception, with an elegantly located Flipkart logo on the ceiling, has a beautifully hand painted background wall showing the entire life cycle of an order—resonating with Flipkart’s core belief of customer satisfaction.
The new office building has 11 floors, each with a unique character of its own. From Science to Sports and Fashion to Music, each floor is designed and inspired by human greatness in various fields.
Here’s a quick sneak-peek at the new Flipkart office.
Wouldn’t you love to work here? Don’t waste any time getting in touch with friends and former colleagues who’d love to refer you. And if you’d rather apply on your own, head over to our careers site.
When Saumya Gupta graduated at 18, she found herself without job prospects in a recession-wrecked market. Though she had trained to be a commercial pilot, the aviation industry was in a slump. After a year of trying to figure out next steps, she had no option but to join a call center. Unhappy to have let herself and her parents down, she worked nights while plotting her next move—she wanted to do something that gave her freedom, a good livelihood and decent hours, and above all, the satisfaction that comes with being self reliant. This, however, was no easy task.
Introspection led Saumya to realize that most of her friends and colleagues loved her wardrobe. Taking a plunge, Saumya started a small business selling clothes with 30 garments to start with. Having invested so much in her education, family funds were low, so she set up a little store in her parents’ garage. She soon realised that though people liked her clothes and her prices, her market was limited to her friends.
How could she reach a wider market?
A retail space was out of the question, as was selling to retail stores. Reason: her brand was new and her volumes limited. The only way out was to find a solution both simple and effective: selling online. In just a few years, Saumya’s business went from a solo garage venture to full-fledged office. Selling her garments on Flipkart gave Saumya a platform unlike any other. With easy and effective logistics support, Saumya’s garments are collected at her office for seamless delivery to customers. Flipkart also armed Saumya with information on customer behavior and tips to participate in online sales.
Learning the online business model and combining it with hard work and creativity, Saumya’s small home business soon touched the ₹3 crore mark. Today her brand Ten on Ten is well known, garnering attention from across India. Starting with 30 styles and going to 3,000 was just the beginning—Saumya now has her sights set even higher. Inspired by consumer response, she has designed a special catalog only for sale on Flipkart and intends to take her brand to a ₹120 crore company. Saumya’s only way out served to change her life and what more, gave her the self-reliance she always wanted.
Who says you have to be a commercial pilot to touch the sky?
Inspired? Here are the 3 lessons from Saumya’s story about why you need to take your business online right now.
Lesson 1: Beat geographic barriers
You can beat geographic barriers just like Saumya. Whether you’re based out of the bustling industrial district of Jaipur or a small corner of Jharkhand, taking your business online not only puts you on the map, but also automatically widens your market. Now the people who can view, read about and buy your products needn’t actually travel to where you are; instead, your products can travel anytime, anywhere to them right from their smartphones!
Lesson 2: Take control
If worries of spending capital on your business are stopping you from expanding or you’d like to start small without being dependent on the rent or the locality of your business, there’s no better bet than selling online. You have greater freedom and more control over your business without being forced into uncomfortable choices.
Lesson 3: Spur innovation
It’s a lot easier to understand consumer behavior and tap into opportunities when you’re selling online. There are no restrictions to selling online since platforms that sell actually want competition, so even if you are a small cottage industry, you can compete with some of the biggest fashion houses! No wonder then that selling online spurs innovation, encourages you to think outside the box, try your hand at news things, and increase your creative output. Now, if that’s not exciting, we don’t know what is!
Do you want to be a star seller on Flipkart? Learn more
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