Get All Access for $5/mo

Coronavirus: Flipkart, Tata Consumer Products Partner For Supply Of Essentials Tata's distributors will list as marketplace sellers on the e-commerce company's platform and consumers would be able to buy different combo packs of essential products.

By Debroop Roy

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Flipkart

At a time when India is reeling under the effects of the ongoing Coronavirus-enforced lockdown, e-commerce giant Flipkart and Tata Consumer Products have formed a pact to get essentials delivered to customers.

Tata's distributors will list as marketplace sellers on the e-commerce company's platform – a first – and consumers would be able to buy different combo packs of essential products such as beverages (tea and coffee) and foods (spices, pulses, and nutri mixes).

Walmart-owned Flipkart will fulfill the orders by picking up the essentials from Tata's distributors and delivering them using its own network of delivery executives.

"Our partnership with Tata Consumer Products is a testament to our joint ambition and responsibility to serve the nation during these trying times," said Flipkart Group chief executive officer Kalyan Krishnamurthy, in a statement.

The companies said that the partnership was already operational in Bengaluru, and that they plan to expand it to Mumbai and Delhi in the coming week and Tier II towns going forward.

"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," said Sunil D'Souza, managing director and CEO at Tata Consumer Products.

Other Partnerships

This pact comes on the heels of several others where companies have tweaked their business models in order to solve supply chain disruptions.

On Tuesday, food products company Britannia Industries said it had launched a service with hyperlocal e-commerce start-up Dunzo for the delivery of all its products, wherein, customers can avail products such as biscuits, cakes and dairy whiteners through the Dunzo app in under an hour of ordering.

Last week, consumer goods giant Marico announced a partnership with Swiggy and Zomato and introduced Saffola Store on the foodtech platforms to allow customers to order essentials such as cooking oil and oats.

Other such partnerships include ITC Limited utilizing the last-mile infrastructure of pizza chain Domino's for delivering products such as flour and salt, and bike taxi operator Rapido delivering for the likes of Big Bazaar, BigBasket and Spencer's.

Debroop Roy

Former Correspondent

Covering the start-up ecosystem in and around Bangalore. Formerly an energy reporter at Reuters. A film, cricket buff who also writes fiction on weekends.
News and Trends

Recur Club Announces Credit Offerings for Startups Beyond Series A and SMEs

In FY 24–25, the platform also plans to deploy an additional INR 2000 crores through its Recur Swift program for startups.

News and Trends

Supply-Chain Financing Platform Mintifi Raises USD 180 Mn in Series E, Valuation Soars to USD 850 Mn

The raised funding will enable Mintifi to diversify its product offerings, such as dealer management systems, loans against property, and factoring services, powered by artificial intelligence.

News and Trends

Stride Ventures Launches Fourth Fund with USD 300 Mn Target Corpus

Industry leaders like BlueStone, Upstox, Moneyview, Ather, Pharmeasy, Infra.Market, and Ola Electric have benefited from Stride's support.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

News and Trends

AWE Funds to Scale Women-Led ClimateTech Initiatives with CGEF Grant

The grant will empower AWE Funds to expand initiatives, invest in women-led climate companies, enhance accelerator programs, and launch a fellowship nurturing young women professionals in climate and sustainability.

Business News

I Tried Buying a Car on Amazon. Here Are the Pros and Cons.

Amazon Autos just launched, and users can buy a new car online. Here's how it works and what needs to improve.