- Over 55% growth in new sellers this TBBD, compared to 2020
- 1 in every 3 deliveries will be made by a kirana partner this festive month
- Top artisans and weaver partners from the Flipkart Samarth programme witnessed a growth of 6X this TBBD compared to 2020
Bengaluru : As Flipkart’s The Big Billion Days (TBBD) 2021 draws to a close, India has witnessed renewed growth for sellers, kiranas and MSMEs. The consumer response demonstrated the growing adoption of e-commerce, driven by purchases of a wide range of products, increased convenience and user-friendly technology and financial constructs. TBBD 2021 drove robust growth opportunities for sellers and MSMEs and enabled better income and livelihoods for Flipkart’s Wishmasters and supply chain partners including Kiranas.
Nandita Sinha, Vice President – Customer and Growth, Flipkart, said, “This year’s Big Billion Days has been steeped in the spirit of revival and growth, as we saw a resurgence in consumption and a marked shift towards online shopping. We have continued to provide our consumers the best and most relevant offerings, made available through a large network of sellers and a range of affordability constructs, making their shopping experience easy and seamless. Our efforts to uplift the entire ecosystem also ushered in considerable growth opportunities for MSMEs, sellers and our lakhs of Kirana partners, who benefited immensely from our various financial offerings, better revenues and an expanded reach across the nation.”
Pawan Jangir, Kendalwood, a Flipkart Samarth partner from Sikar, Rajasthan said, “We got onboarded with Samarth just before this year’s Big Billion Days and the experience has been amazing. The kind of support that Flipkart gave us through this program in terms of cataloging and promoting our work on their platform has truly helped us in seeing a steep growth. This TBBD, we crossed the 1 crore revenue mark, which is a milestone not only for us but the entire artisan community. It made us believe that with the help of technology and the right approach, our work can go across the country.”
Ragini Rai, kirana delivery partner from Lucknow said, “While running a stationery store has helped me cover the household expenses and take care of my family, Flipkart’s kirana delivery program has empowered me to provide better education to my children and save enough for their future. This is my first Big Billion Days and I’m excited looking at the earning potential which also spells huge opportunities for me and my children. In a post-pandemic world, such programs are a ray of hope for people like us and have helped elevate our skill sets to offer new opportunities.”
Sellers & MSMEs unlock the true potential of e-commerce
With 1.3 times the number of transacting sellers this year, consisting of MSMEs, artisans, weavers, and craftsmen, more than 10% of them witnessed a 3X growth in sales this year. There were more than 55% new sellers this TBBD, with 57% hailing from Tier-2, Tier-3, and smaller cities and towns such as Jaipur, Surat, Howrah, Tirupur and Panipat, among others.
Driving ecosystem participation
There was a significant increase in customer satisfaction with same day deliveries across thousands of pincodes. In a significant effort to augment their income, Flipkart aims to make over 30 million deliveries through kirana delivery partners this festive season.
This Big Billion Days, top artisans and weaver partners from Flipkart Samarth witnessed a growth of 6X compared to TBBD 2020. The Samarth initiative, which started in 2019, aims to uplift and embrace India’s artisans, weavers and micro-enterprises into the e-commerce fold. The most popular Samarath products were from the Homedecor (showpieces, keyholder); Natural Beauty products (shampoos, moisturiser cream), and Women Ethnic (Sari) categories.
India’s premiumisation journey and upgrades for this festive season
This TBBD saw an increasing trend of consumers opting for premium products online, driven by Flipkart’s wide range of affordable and unique premium product options.
- The most popular purchases over the course of the Big Billion Days so far, are across lifestyle, electronics, books and general merchandise, home and mobiles
- The number of premium smartphones sold during the Big Billion Days has doubled from TBBD 2020. From this, 41.78% of premium smartphones were purchased by customers in Tier 3 cities. Every 1 in 5 smartphones sold this TBBD was 5G-enabled.
- Customers purchased lifestyle products from over 44,000 unique brands this TBBD, reflecting a positive sentiment towards stepping out and upgrading fashion wardrobes
- While buying large appliances, about a fifth of all customers opted for an affordability payment construct
- In the consumer electronics segment, smart watches and Fitness bands saw a 100% jump from last year, marking a clear shift towards smart wearables
- The grocery and hyperlocal segments continued to address growing needs, as consumers from across the country shopped for their daily requirements online
- With gardening becoming one of the most-pursued hobbies, Home Improvement Tools, especially Gardening tools, have seen a sharp rise in interest. The Home Improvement category grew by about 80% year on year. Work from home also continues to boost demand for furniture and mattresses in this edition of TBBD.
Consumers load their carts with compassion
The ‘Reward a smile’ campaign, which was facilitated through the Flipkart app, saw consumers using their rewards to bring smiles to people across the country. Flipkart, in partnership with Give India is distributing meals to underprivileged children, helping them meet their daily nutrient requirements. Over 2,21,928 coins have been donated so far, brightening the faces of thousands of children.
Special constructs that drove affordable access
Innovative and bespoke financial constructs such as Flipkart Pay Later, no-cost EMI, the Flipkart Axis Bank co-branded credit card, and others enabled consumers in buying their products of choice. Accessibility was also a key catalyst, with the entire product range available across all pin codes. The anticipation for TBBD was evident as millions of customers pre-booked products just prior to Early Access by paying just Re.1.
Unique consumer engagement that made the festive season special
Over 1.1 million people from across the country interacted with the live streaming on the Flipkart app. Keeping with the Indian festive spirit, Flipkart has designed and disbursed ‘BBD Shagun’ (a special reward) for its customers this year. More than Rs. 20 crores have been redeemed by over 20 million customers under this offering.
Enabling growth across the wholesale value chain
The Big Billion Days sale at Best Price cash-and-carry stores and on Flipkart Wholesale across 10,000+ PIN codes in 24 States and Union Territories featured attractive offers for more than 1.5 million kiranas. Flipkart Wholesale continued its focus of digitising Kiranas and the retail ecosystem saw a 1.3X jump in number of kirana and retail members onboarding the platform this Big Billion Days. Indicating a shift in trend to digital commerce for B2B, over 45% of Flipkart Wholesale’s customer base transacted online and 35% of them opted for self-service.