Flipkart Wholesale, the digital B2B marketplace of India’s homegrown Flipkart Group, has introduced the Voice Search feature on its platform. This new capability, currently available in English and Hindi, will help kiranas and retailers utilize the search function more effectively, making it easier to transact on the platform. This new feature will also enable them to access a wide range of value-based products from the safety and convenience of their premises.
While technology penetration across the country increases, a majority of internet users, including kiranas and MSMEs, are from non-English speaking backgrounds. The Voice Search will make the journey more convenient for them as varying proficiency in English makes it challenging to perform searches using text input. Hence, solving the language barrier becomes critical to enable access to the full benefits of technology platforms for the target communities.
Flipkart Wholesale has been at the forefront in leveraging technology to solve pain points in B2B e-commerce transactions. The introduction of Voice Search using commands in Hindi and English is yet another technology innovation that reinforces the platform’s core proposition of “Business Banaye Aasaan”. Additionally, the platform offers quick credit support through a wholly digital process.
Commenting on the launch, Adarsh Menon, Senior Vice-President and Head – Flipkart Wholesale, said, “Our core value proposition lies in offering a hassle-free shopping experience on the app through new technologies and innovations. At Flipkart, we are committed to address the problem areas our members face and deliver value to them. The launch of Voice Search is one such tech initiative that will help cater to the heterogeneous user population, making their e-commerce journey with Flipkart even simpler. As a technology enabler, we will continue to create more such innovations that will make digital commerce more inclusive, accessible, and convenient for existing as well as new customers.”
How it works
A user who may have low proficiency in English can utilize the voice search function to directly speak to the app. The customer can say “Cheeni chahiye” following which, the app will be able to showcase sugar product results similar to how the result will be if searched through typing.
Launched in 2020, Flipkart Wholesale expanded its reach at a rapid pace to serve kiranas and MSMEs. The members are increasingly adopting e-commerce as their preferred mode of purchase, enabling Flipkart Wholesale to strengthen its position day-by-day. The platform offers a wide range of selection across categories spanning the length and breadth of everything that consumers need – be it Fashion, grocery or general merchandise. Today, Flipkart Wholesale serves over 1.5 million members across the country, which include kiranas, HoReCa (hotels, restaurants and cafeterias) and O&I (offices and institutions).
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