Flipkart Wholesale, the digital B2B marketplace of the Flipkart Group, has launched new credit programs to help kiranas (small neighbourhood shops) manage their working capital requirements, and this includes ‘Easy Credit’ — the shops can avail credit in just two minutes — in partnership with IDFC First Bank.
Launched last year, Flipkart Wholesale supplies myriad products to kirana shops and MSMEs in categories including grocery, general merchandise, or fashion. Flipkart Wholesale’s new credit schemes are in line with a series of initiatives it has undertaken to solve local pain points of kiranas in India.
According to Flipkart, the new credit line will range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 2 lakh with an interest-free period of up to 14 days. 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.
Adarsh Menon, Senior Vice President and Head, Flipkart Wholesale, was quoted as saying: “ 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.”
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. The partnership with Flipkart gives us an opportunity to enable kiranas to access formal credit and scale up business.”
Flipkart Wholesale serves over 1.5 million members across the country, which include kiranas/retailers, hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, offices and institutions.
Flipkart Wholesale witnessed 17% growth in its kirana customer base in January-June 2021 compared to the same period last year.
Flipkart Wholesale recently announced plans to more than triple its geographical footprint in India to close to 2,700 cities.
Flipkart Wholesale competes with, among others, players like Amazon and Reliance’s JioMart which are also making huge inroads into this space.
