Flipkart’s Smart Assistive Interface Saathi aims

Flipkart’s Smart Assistive Interface ‘Saathi’ aims to handhold first-time e-commerce users using audio-visual navigation

Aims to handhold new users, with a combination of text and audio-visual experience for product discovery

 Flipkart, India’s leading homegrown e-commerce marketplace, today announced the introduction of a ‘Smart Assistive Interface’ feature called ‘Flipkart Saathi’ to support first-time e-commerce users on the platform and enhance their overall shopping experience. This first-of-a-kind feature from Flipkart is available in Hindi and English to start with and is Flipkart’s attempt towards further humanising e-commerce. With this feature, Flipkart aims to empower consumers across tier II, III cities and beyond in rural India, as it seeks to bring the next 200 million consumers online.

The assistive interface feature (audio-guided navigation) aims at mimicking the typical real-life shopping experience for consumers who are comfortable being assisted by a salesperson. It uses a combination of text and audio-based instructions to guide new users in their e-commerce journey. This includes a list of key actions in the form of pop-up texts followed by audio for a better understanding. As audio is simple to follow and offers relatability, consumers can follow the instructions in a more immersive manner.  

The Voice of Convenience

Industry research suggests that 90% of new internet users in India are native language speakers, hence it becomes imperative to offer a native e-commerce experience to impart familiarity, comfort and aid in decision making. With this assistive interface, users will be able to see relevant information and search for their desired products in Hindi – a language whose internet user base is expected to outgrow English in India by the year 2021.

Flipkart undertook extensive research for nearly a year, speaking with consumers yet to transact on e-commerce, and occasional users in tier-II cities to understand how assistive interface as a concept, resonates with end users. In its study, the company realised that while new users are able to skim through some products on their own, filtering options and choosing brands or variants is where they required assistance and hence, audio visual guided navigation becomes essential. Through consecutive studies, Flipkart tested initial concepts and recorded how users react to onboarding, flow and what value they derive from assistive interfaces.

   

Solving for India

The smart assistive interface will play a significant role in eliminating obstructions to e-commerce and offers a sequential way of learning how to shop online. This will in turn reduce consumers’ reliance on others to experience e-commerce and empower them to experience e-commerce independently. Furthermore, it will help offline users transitioning to e-commerce to input in the correct language, offering them the ability to do tasks faster and enhance their  confidence. The feature will also be made available in other regional language interfaces in the coming months.

Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Group Chief Executive Officer, Flipkart, said, “ Flipkart is committed to bringing the next 200 million consumers online and solving for that in every possible manner. Our talented technology team has worked hard to make Hindi interface and Smart Assistive Interface available to consumers at a time when an increasing number of consumers from smaller cities are getting access to data. This personalisation of technology is a key element of our vision for Bharat and all our innovations are centred around this. As 80-90% of our resources are devoted towards building the ecosystem for Bharat, we are confident of such initiatives bringing about a massive change in our efforts to democratize e-commerce in India.” 

  

Jeyandran Venugopal, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Flipkart, said, “When solved well, language becomes more of a convenience than a barrier. Our efforts in this direction have been very satisfying, including the launch of Hindi interface and now the Smart Assistive Interface. This initiative will further make it easier for consumers especially in Tier-II cities & beyond  to access & enjoy an online shopping experience. Through the combination of cutting-edge tech with our robust understanding of the diverse consumer base in India, the Flipkart team has created an offering to simplify e-commerce. It will bring us closer to our goal of democratizing e-commerce, bringing inclusivity, and onboarding the next set of consumers.

Flipkart’s The Big Billion Days clocks record sales

Flipkart’s The Big Billion Days clocks record sales powered by shoppers and sellers from Tier 2 and beyond

• Flipkart clocked 70 billion views in the 6 days of TBBDs
• There was almost 50% growth in the number of new customers as compared to TBBD'18
• September 30th 2019 was the single largest day for commerce in the country
• More than 50% of Flipkart Plus shoppers are from Tier 2 cities and beyond
• Units from Tier 3 cities grew by 100% YoY
• Delivery to remote areas such as Saitual, Khawzawl, Hnahthial and Dimapur to name a few

• Flipkart emerged as the destination for Large Appliances with 2X growth on Day 1
• The share of transactions via Flipkart’s credit options increased 70%

• Artisans and weaver partners through Flipkart Samarth program witnessed over 100% growth in sales during TBBD
• Over 40% of transacting sellers during TBBD, were from Tier 2 and beyond

Chennai, 4th October 2019: Flipkart, India’s leading e-commerce marketplace witnessed record sales in its flagship festive event - The Big Billion Days (TBBD) 2019. With a purpose to bring the next 200 million consumers to the e-commerce fold, this TBBD saw Bharat inch closer to India by showing confidence in categories and affordability offerings.

Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO of Flipkart Group said, “It has been a fantastic start to the festive season. We set out with an aim to bridge the gap between India and Bharat. TBBD 2019 has proven that Bharat has moved closer to India in more ways than one. Whether it is the uptake of the Hindi interface or the adoption of our affordability constructs, engagement constructs like gaming, consumers have engaged with brands they love like never before. We take immense pride in making e-commerce more inclusive through the introduction of some top categories which during this festive season, have been able to cater to the needs of Tier 2 markets and beyond. The Big Billion Days has also brought our entire ecosystem together from our seller partners to artisans, weavers and consumers; who were all able to spread festive cheers across categories.”

Key Highlights TBBD 2019

Marketplace

• By close of Day 2, ~25,000 sellers crossed their total sales of TBBD’18 (5 day sale)
• 50% of top sellers on Flipkart witnessed 3X growth
• Almost 50% growth in the number of new seller cities
• Over 40% of transacting sellers during TBBD were from Tier 2 and beyond towns
• 50% growth in the no. of sellers participating in TBBD’19 as compared to TBBD’18
• Among multi-platform e-commerce sellers, the wallet share seen on Flipkart by sellers  was 70%, while for Fashion & Home our Wallet share has hit as high as 80%
• Artisans and weaver partners through Flipkart Samarth program witnessed over 100% growth in sales from BAU during TBBD’19

Fashion

• Fashion witnessed a 70% growth in sales compared to TBBD’18
• 40% of all new customers to Flipkart this TBBD came through Fashion
• Women customers contributed 45% to overall Fashion sales (units sold)
• Tier 2 cities contributed 55% to the overall units
• 70% jump in customers compared to TBBD’18
• 15 apparels, 7 shoes, and 5 accessories were sold every second during TBBD’19 
• In the Flipkart Fashion portfolio, 20 brands sold more than 1 lakh units this TBBD
• The Flipkart Fashion Originals portfolio sales grew 100% over TBBD‘18

Mobiles

• This has been the biggest festive season for Mobiles till date, with brands achieving more than 2X growth over TBBD ‘18. More than 20 models sold over 100K units each during TBBD’19, which is a first for any event.
• At the start of early access in TBBD ‘19, there was a 1.5X spike in users, which reflects an eager anticipation for mobiles during TBBD‘19
• 2.5X increase in adoption of product exchange in mobile phone purchases 

Large Appliances

• 1 in 2 TVs, 1 in 3 washing machines, 1 in 5 refrigerators and 1 in 5 ACs  bought in India during these 6 days were bought on Flipkart
• 10 TVs were sold per second in the first hour of TBBD ‘19
• Close to 7 out of 10 customers opted for prepaid payment for TVs and other large appliances and 2X customers opted for exchange offers, indicating a desire to upgrade to high value appliances
• 1 in every 10 orders came from new delivery PIN codes -- including a delivery to a village called Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh, 100 kms from Myanmar China border, in just 3 days
• Large Appliances growth driven by Tier 2 & 3 cities with close to 50% sales from cities such as Nellore, Muzaffarpur, Salem, Dehradun, Mysore and more
• 1 in 4 customers in the Large Appliances category opted for the Complete Appliance Protection plan, trusting Flipkart to ensure their after-sales service for 3 years post purchase

Affordability

• The share of transactions via affordability constructs such as EMIs, Flipkart Pay Later and Cardless Credit has increased by 70% during TBBD’19 as compared to last year 
• 3 out of 5 people who used Flipkart credit instruments were from non-metros
• This TBBD saw 2X the number of customers using Flipkart Pay Later as compared to TBBD’18
• 1 in 3 customers who shopped in the Large Appliances category used an affordability option, such as EMIs

Private Brands

• The Private Brands portfolio sales grew an impressive 2.5X over TBBD’18. This year, over 2.5 lakh Indian homes were furnished by Private Brands across furniture, appliances and home furnishings
• 55% of customers for the Private Brands portfolio came from Tier 2 & below towns, with top non-metro markets including Lucknow, Ernakulam, Patna, Trivandrum and Vizag.
• One third of customers buying Private Brand products were women and over 12% of Private Brands shoppers were new to Flipkart and e-commerce
• Flipkart Perfect Homes continued to be India’s largest furniture brand during TBBD’19 delivering furniture to over 16,000 pin codes across the country
• A clear preference for premium specs in consumer durables was noticed -- over 50% of MarQ washing machines sold were Fully Automatics and almost 70% of air conditioners sold by MarQ by Flipkart were Inverter ACs. Premium Side By Side and Frost Free MarQ refrigerators accounted for 50% of the overall MarQ refrigerators sold
• Flipkart SmartBuy was the 3rd largest brand on the platform during TBBD'19, with 2+ products sold every second 

Electronics

• For TBBD 2019, the Electronics category has witnessed an overall growth of 50% in new customers
• Customers from Bharat (tier 2 cities and beyond) witnessed a growth of over 130% from TBBD 2018. Within Bharat customers, the number of Women Customers shopping has increased by over 100%
• 34 Electronic Accessories were sold every second during early access, for TBBD 19
• In categories like Laptops, Headphones, Smart wearables, Cameras, and Tablets -- 7 out of 10 products in India were bought on Flipkart during TBBD
• Apple SmartWatches earned over a month’s of their India business in the first 6 minutes of TBBD’19

Books, General Merchandise and Home

• BGMH was one of the fastest growing categories this TBBD, almost doubling sales growth and increasing units sold by 140% over last year’s TBBD
• The top categories clocking maximum no. of units were Personal Care, Household, House Furnishing, Baby Care & Toys and Books
• The category beat their five-day total TBBD’18 numbers within the first 24 hours of TBBD’19
• Personal Care, Sports, Toys, Home Decor and Home Furnishings were the most popular categories for consumers from Bharat, with top cities including Jaipur, Patna, Ghaziabad, Ludhiana, Ernakulam, Varanasi, Guwahati and Kanpur, among others  

Furniture

• Flipkart became the largest furniture marketplace in the country with a nearly 2X growth in sales over TBBD’18
• Beds, mattresses, sofas, wardrobes, TV units, dining sets, bean bags and shoe racks were among the top categories bought by customers
• One furniture item was sold every 2 seconds during TBBD’19
• There was an over 100% growth in new customers with nearly 63% belonging to  tier 2, 3 cities
• Customers from tier -2, 3 cities grew by over 100% this TBBD due to expansion of pincodes
• The number of crorepati sellers tripled since last TBBD on the back of strong consumer demand
• A fourth of consumers opted for affordability payment constructs to purchase furniture 

2GUD

• 2GUD’s new fashion and home categories saw 30X jump in orders. Refurbished televisions and laptops saw 10X jump in sales
• More than 50% of customers were from tier 3 and below; 80% orders from non-metro
• Over 65% orders in 2GUD lifestyle were from women categories
• 2GUD saw a 50% spike in units compared to TBBD’18
• 66% growth in refurbished electronics (laptops, speakers, headphones) in comparison to TBBD’18

Customer Experience and After Sales

• 1 million shipments sent out from Flipkart FCs on Day 1
• 2 in 3 customers received installation of Large Appliances on the same or next day of delivery
• For furniture and appliances under the Private Brands portfolio, 50% of installations were completed during the six-day TBBD period itself

Flipkart Plus

• 1.7X growth in Plus customers transacting in TBBD’19 compared to the first two days of TBBD’18
• Every 2 orders out of 5 orders this BBD are from Plus customers
• More than 50% of plus shoppers TBBD’19 are coming from tier 2 and tier 3 cities
• 1 out of every 2 Flipkart Plus customers purchased a mobile phone this TBBD 19
• Large Appliances has witnessed a 2X growth in sales from Plus Customers TBBD’19

Consumer Engagement (Games)

• Flipkart was the biggest Indian Gaming platform for consumers during TBBD 
• 5 million unique game players were engaged during TBBD‘19; with 2.4 million hours spent and 30 million game plays on Flipkart 
• Every minute, 10 players won a smartphone, ACs and Smartwatches across India; making Flipkart the most rewarding game platform in India