Flipkart: India's Amazon*

Details

Case Code : CLBS118
Publication date : 2012
Subject : Business Strategy
Industry :E-retail
Length : 03 Pages

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Abstract:

Flipcart.com, an e-retailer was established in 2007, when e-retailing in India was at a nascent stage. Since its inception Flipcart introduced several innovations and went on to become one of the largest players in the industry. The case discusses Flipcart's inception, growth, expansion and development over the years, and the strategies it followed to become a name to reckon with in the Indian e-retail industry.

Issues:

» The strategies a new company could follow in a new market
» Organic and inorganic growth
» Indian e-retail market - challenges and opportunities

Introduction

Flipkart.com, one of the leading e-retail companies in India, was launched in 2007 by Sachin Bansal (Sachin) and Binny Bansal (Binny), who were classmates at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The idea of starting an e-retail company emerged while they were working in Amazon, India (Development center). They studied the Indian e-retail market and found that the number of online buyers was on the rise, and that the demand they generated was not being met by the existing e-retail companies. Further, they found that in India, customer service by e-retail companies was poor when compared to that of international e-retail companies like Amazon.com...

Questions for Discussion:

1. Discuss Flipkart's inorganic growth strategies.
2. What strategies should Flipkart implement to ward off competition from Indian and international e-retailers?

Key words:
Flipkart, e-retail, Amazon.com, LetsBuy.com, Junglee.com, venture capital, organic growth, inorganic growth

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