Now e-commerce firms may pick up & deliver from local stores too

BENGALURU: A business model transformation is underway at India’s leading online marketplaces, led by fashion.

Flipkart and its fashion units Myntra and Jabong, Amazon India and Paytm Mall are adopting a hyperlocal strategy to allow customers access to the latest fashion products that can be picked up and delivered from local stores within hours.

This model, routed via technology partners, can be replicated in categories such as mobile phones, electronics, and home furnishings, transforming how marketplaces operate and bringing substantial savings in inventory, warehousing and delivery costs.


“This way, ecommerce companies don’t have to buy inventory, which is a massive cost. And then, storing in warehouses is an additional cost,” said Harsh Shah, cofounder of Fynd, the Google-backed fashion ecommerce platform that enables physical stores to sell online. “This is a great way for them to get inventory at zero cost.”

As part of a pilot run, Fynd recently integrated its brand inventory with Jabong Luxe, under which Jabong sells luxury brands, and Facebook Marketplace. Jabong Luxe now has access to labels including Steve Madden, Superdry and Brooks Brothers.