Flipkart enables cross-border trade for local Indian MSMEs; partners with Sastodeal in Nepal

• In a first-of-its-kind partnership for the company, lakhs of Flipkart sellers will now have access to Nepalese customers
• Sastodeal will host over 5000 product verticals from Flipkart Marketplace such as baby care & kids, women’s ethnic wear and sports & fitness, among others

Bengaluru, August 21, 2020: Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, today entered into a strategic partnership with Sastodeal, a leading e-commerce company in Nepal, to initiate cross-border trade opportunities for its lakhs of sellers. Under the partnership, Sastodeal will host products from Flipkart marketplace sellers operating across the categories of babycare & kids, audio devices, men’s clothing, women’s ethnic wear, and sports & fitness, among others, in turn opening access to Nepalese customers.

Flipkart has constantly endeavored to create an inclusive e-commerce ecosystem and boost the growth of its seller partners in India. As MSMEs across the country bounce back and continue to look towards newer avenues for business growth, opportunities like these give them further confidence in the potential of e-commerce platforms. Flipkart currently has 2,00,000 sellers across India, with more than 50% of them coming from smaller cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Meerut, Surat, Kanpur, Agra, Coimbatore, and Ahmedabad, among others. In line with its commitment to the ecosystem, the partnership with Sastodeal will build the long-term development of the e-commerce industry in both countries.

Commenting on the partnership, Jagjeet Harode, Head of Marketplace, Flipkart, said, “The partnership with Sastodeal, a homegrown brand like ours, will not just open doors for a wider market reach to our sellers but also allow them to boost their business significantly. E-commerce business in Nepal has huge potential as more and more consumers take to online shopping. The trust a brand like Flipkart has amongst consumers along with the love of a local company like Sastodeal enjoys; makes the value proposition for consumers even more exciting. We are confident that new growth avenues such as this will boost the economic sentiment and growth prospects for local MSMEs in India.”

In addition, Flipkart Private Brands-  MarQ and SmartBuy will also be listed on the Sastodeal platform, with a focus on categories such as electronics, home appliances/home decor, and furnishings. Providing sellers partners yet another opportunity to manufacture locally and expand reach beyond India, Flipkart will enable sellers to make these private brands readily-available to Nepalese consumers, with the fulfillment promise by Sastodeal.

“Flipkart’s Private Brands portfolio has always been about addressing consumer needs in the most effective value-driven manner. Given our understanding of what consumers need and focus on quality products; it was a natural step for us to expand this expertise and take our brands to markets beyond India. The preference of consumers in a country like Nepal is very similar to India. We are confident that the adoption of our Private Brands MarQ and SmartBuy will be strong. Our partner Sastodeal enjoys immense consumer trust in the Nepal market, which gives us further encouragement that consumers will love what we have to offer under the partnership,” said Dev Iyer, Vice President – Private Brands, Flipkart.

According to Amun Thapa, CEO, Sastodeal, “The opportunity brought by Flipkart for Nepalese consumers is going to build a strong growth story for e-commerce in our country. Customers in Nepal increasingly look forward to products with best in class features and quality, and with a trusted brand like Flipkart, we can fulfill their requirements and enhance their experience on our platform. We are ensuring that customers get access to these products readily and hoping that together, this partnership can modernize the consumer landscape in Nepal significantly, especially in the current times.”

Flipkart marketplace and private brand products are now available on Sastodeal. In the first phase, the partnership will see 5000+ products listed on Sastodeal.