Flipkart does a soft launch of its grocery delivery service in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Online retailer Flipkart rolled out its grocery delivery service Supermart on its mobile application to an initial set of customers in Bengaluru ­­ stepping up competition against US-based rival Amazon. Flipkart, which has been talking about foraying into the FMCG segment for a while now, had launched its grocery services pilot in Bengaluru a few months ago, only for its employees.

Flipkart's grocery marketplace requires a minimum order value of Rs 500 and provides free delivery for orders over Rs 1,000, according to information available on the mobile app. “We have done a soft launch for grocery categories at Flipkart. Currently, it is available to select customers in Bengaluru. In line with our aim of transforming ecommerce in the country through technology, we want to make shopping for everyday essentials convenient for our customers, we intend to scale it up to all customers in Bengaluru and take it to other cities in future,“ a Flipkart spokesperson said.

This is not Flipkart's first foray into the grocery segment. The company had entered the grocery delivery service through its app Nearby in 2015 and shut it down several months later.

Grocery has been a major point of focus for Amazon India since last year due to its repeat purchases leading to higher customer acquisition. Paytm Mall, along with its main investor Alibaba, is also expanding in this space and is in talks to buy a significant stake in the largest grocery etailer BigBasket.Amazon India offers food products through Amazon Pantry in some cities and same-day grocery delivery on Amazon Now app through a tie-up with retailers such as Big Bazaar and Hypercity in some cities.

Flipkart is building a dedicated supply chain for its grocery service and is providing options such as open-box delivery to verify products before acceptance and doorstep returns if the customer faces any issue with the product.