Ramla SoniFlipkart is to expand its presence in India by selling groceries online in more cities, as it seeks to compete better with Amazon and Reliance.
Flipkart, which is owned by US Walmart, has already expanded online grocery sales to more than 50 Indian cities and intends to reach over 70 locations in the next six months.
Its recent expansion includes major cities Kolkata, Pune and Ahmedabad.
The Bengaluru-based firm said its grocery service had grown “exponentially” in the past year when many Indians began buying essential supplies online due to the pandemic.
“Grocery continues to be one of the fastest-growing categories,” said Manish Kumar, senior vice president at Flipkart, adding that the company had seen increased demand for the service from smaller cities in 2020.
“Grocery is the next big frontier for online shopping and is a key focus area for Flipkart to bring new customers online,” the company added.
Reliance Industries-owned JioMart entered India’s e-grocery market last year.
Reliance, backed by India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, raised over $20bn (£14bn, €17bn) last year from global investors including Facebook and Google for its digital arm, which is expected to support JioMart.
Other players in India’s online grocery market include Amazon.com Inc, BigBasket and several smaller players. Indian conglomerate Tata is also reportedly buying a majority stake in Alibaba-backed BigBasket.
