The Walmart-owned Flipkart has launched Shopsy, an app through which individuals and small businesses can be (re)sellers of goods that are available on the platform. Flipkart will have around 15 crore products on the platform that individuals and small entrepreneurs can help sell through their own modes like WhatsApp or Facebook or any other messaging app.
Shopsy will have catalogues of a wide selection of goods offered by Flipkart sellers, ranging across fashion, beauty, mobiles, electronics and home, among others.
The idea of Shopsy is to make available online commerce to wary consumers through people they can trust. Flipkart is a conduit between the seller and the reseller.
With Shopsy, Flipkart aims to enable over 25 million online entrepreneurs by 2023.
- Flipkart, Amazon need not worry: Govt isn't planning to ban all online flash sale
- Survey says 49% of Indian consumers prefer e-commerce shopping
How to use Shopsy
Individual entrepreneurs or small business owners can share catalogues of products from Shopsy in their networks and take orders, which will be fulfilled by Shopsy. The platform is free for these individuals and small businesses.
According to Flipkart, users can simply register on the Shopsy app using their phone numbers. "Budding entrepreneurs can now set up their business as long as they have access to a network of people that trust them, without the hassle of investment, inventory or logistics management."
Users can share the catalogues with potential customers via popular social media and messaging apps, place orders on their behalf and earn commissions on the transactions.
The commission percentage will vary depending on the category of products being ordered, the company said.
Prakash Sikaria, Senior Vice President - Growth and Monetization, Flipkart, said, “Entrepreneurs now will utilize Flipkart's catalog, established delivery networks, and infrastructure to bring reliability and speed. These benefits will help them enhance the end consumers' experience, which in turn help them grow their business."
As Flipkart's media release said many internet users in India do not transact online due to two key challenges - trust and simplicity. Shopsy hopes to power e-commerce through people and entrepreneurs that the people trust in their communities. It is a model that has been made famous by Shopify.
