NE BUSINESS BUREAU
BENGALURU, APRIL 11
Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace and Tata Consumer Products Limited are coming together to serve the nation amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic, enabling access to essential food and beverage products to Indian consumers. In a first of its kind, innovative distribution solution, Tata Consumer Products’ distributors will list as marketplace sellers on the Flipkart platform. Consumers can use the Flipkart platform to buy different combo packs of essential products such as beverages (Tata Tea and Coffee) and foods (Tata Sampann Spices, Pulses, and Nutri mixes) offered by Tata Consumer Products.
The partnership has brought together two iconic Indian companies that have created a unique distribution model, leveraging their combined strengths to solve for Indian consumers’ need for access to essential commodities as they stay indoors and practise social distancing.
The Tata Consumer Company distributors who are now listed online with Flipkart Marketplace, have undergone the Flipkart Training for Packaging and Order Fulfilment and will process orders as per the standard operating procedures set by Flipkart.
Flipkart’s marketplace supply chain will fulfill the orders by picking up these essentials combinations from Tata Consumer Company distributors and delivering them to customers using its extensive network of delivery executives. The partnership is already operational in Bengaluru, and the companies plan to expand these facilities in Mumbai and Delhi in the coming week and Tier 2 towns in the future. The product combinations have been curated keeping in mind specific needs of Indian consumers, while also offering them significant cost benefits.
Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO of Flipkart Group, said, “Our partnership with Tata Consumer Products is a testament to our joint ambition and responsibility to serve the nation during these trying times. With the support of the government and local authorities, we are able to innovate unique distribution and supply chain models that enable us to serve communities in India. The synergies and capabilities of both Tata Consumer and Flipkart are complementary and we are proud to enable an alternate business channel built on our marketplace model to deliver great value to consumers in these times of crisis.”
Sunil D’Souza, MD & CEO, Tata Consumer Products said: “Tata Consumer Products is committed to ensuring availability of our beverage and food brands to consumers across India, during this difficult time. This partnership with Flipkart provides an innovative way to set up a strong alternate distribution channel through our wide network. We are glad to be able to leverage each other’s strengths in order to make sure essential products reach the consumers who need them.”
As a homegrown e-commerce company, Flipkart has a deep understanding of the environment it operates in and has taken significant steps to ramp up its supply chain operations. The partnership with Tata Consumer Products Limited is timely and relevant in the context of the prevalent situation and will address the needs of consumers in these difficult times. Furthermore, it is in line with the Government’s efforts to provide consumers with access to daily essentials and help maintain social distancing. Tata Consumer Products, part of Tata group was formed in February 2020 following the merger of Tata Global Beverages and the consumer products business of Tata Chemicals Limited, a release from the company said.
