Flipkart MSMEs can now sell in Nepal: E-tailer partners with Sastodeal to enable cross-border trade

Image: Reuters

Trade, import and export for MSMEs: MSMEs registered on Flipkart can now sell their merchandise abroad as well as the homegrown e-commerce platform entered into a deal to enable cross-border trade. Partnering with Sastodeal, an e-commerce company in Nepal, Flipkart will create cross-border trade opportunities for lakhs of sellers who are registered with its platform. “The partnership with Sastodeal, a homegrown brand like ours, will not just open doors for a wider market reach to our sellers but also allow them to boost their business significantly,” Jagjeet Harode, Head of Marketplace, Flipkart, said on Friday, adding that the company sees huge potential in Nepal’s e-commerce business as their has been a surge in online shopping.  

Under the partnership, Flipkart and Sastodeal will list products from Flipkart marketplace sellers under various categories such as babycare and kids, audio devices, men’s clothing, women’s ethnic wear, and sports and fitness, among others. The move will help various MSMEs spread across the country to get newer avenues for business growth and Flipkart said that opportunities like these will also give them confidence in the potential of e-commerce platforms. 

The Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal founded platform has been over two lakh sellers across India and more than half of them are from smaller cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Meerut, Surat, Kanpur, Agra, Coimbatore, and Ahmedabad, etc. In addition to the local sellers, Flipkart will also showcase its own private brands such as MarQ and SmartBuy which operate under various categories including electronics, home appliances/home decor, and furnishings. “Given our understanding of what consumers need and focus on quality products; it was a natural step for us to expand this expertise and take our brands to markets beyond India,” Dev Iyer, Vice President – Private Brands, Flipkart said. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing for increasing domestic production and ramping up exports under Make in India and Vocal for Local initiatives ever since supplies from foreign countries stopped coming due to the coronavirus pandemic.