Flipkart Wholesale, the B2B arm of Flipkart Group, has launched credit programs to help local kiranas stores manage their working capital requirements and grow their business. The ecommerce platform has partnered with IDFC FIRST Bank and other fintech institutions to provide convenient credit facility to Kirana stores through end-to-end digital onboarding. Through these new offerings, kiranas can avail credit in just two minutes at zero cost.
Flipkart Wholesale currently serves over 1.5 million members across the country, which include kiranas, HoReCa (hotels, restaurants and cafeterias) and O&I (offices and institutions). The credit offering is in line with a series of initiatives undertaken to solve local pain points of kiranas in India and boost prosperity for them by making their business easier using technology.
The credit line will range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 2 lakh with an interest-free period of upto 14 days, IANS reported. Kiranas can also avail the benefits of flexible repayment options through cash and online transfers as well as instant refunds in case of order cancellation while seamlessly keeping a tab on their credit balance and bills.
“Our key goal at Flipkart Wholesale is to make business easier for kiranas & retailers and boost their growth journey. We believe our new credit plan is tailored to solve local challenges that kiranas in India face and will help them manage their cash flow and improve their purchase experience on our platform, thereby ensuring that the benefits of digitisation trickle to the entire B2B retail ecosystem,” IANS quoted Flipkart Wholesale Senior Vice President and Head Adarsh Menon as saying.
Amit Kumar, Head-Retail Liabilities & Branch Banking – IDFC FIRST Bank, said, “India’s kirana stores account for over two-thirds of the country’s retail landscape. This traditional trade is now evolving in terms of retail formats and business models. As a bank with a digital-first approach and focus on serving the retail ecosystem, we are keen to contribute to the growth of this segment. The partnership with Flipkart gives us an opportunity to enable kiranas to access formal credit and scale up business.”
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Kiranas continue to be Flipkart Wholesale’s most important customer segment. The platform leverages the Flipkart Group’s experience and prowess in the digital space. Flipkart has over 70 fulfilment and sortation centres across the country. The total area is equal to over 10 million sq ft and it is expanding rapidly.
