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<ul><li>Myntra is offering extra discounts on its products, if the customer opts for ‘no return.’ </li><li>The move is to cut down on the large number of returns on the ordered items. </li><li>The offer is applicable to products from lifestyle, apparel, electronics and home decor categories. </li><li>The e-commerce stores get nearly 15%-20% of returns on purchased items, according to a consulting firm in India.</li></ul>Flipkart’s subsidiary Myntra is wooing its customers by offering additional discounts on its products. But, that comes with a ‘no return’ policy. This means if the customers want to opt for additional discounts, they will have to give up on the benefits of free returns and exchanges for the products they ordered. In order to avail the extra discount, the buyer has to go for ‘non-returnable’ option while making the purchase. The additional discount on the products is up to 4%, if the buyer chooses to not return the product. The online fashion store is reportedly <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/retail/myntra-to-offer-more-discounts-on-promise-of-no-return/articleshow/69034265.cms?utm_source=ETTopNews&amp;utm_medium=HPTN&amp;utm_campaign=AL1&amp;utm_content=23">exercising the scheme</a> to cut down on the large number of returns on the ordered items. According to a consulting firm tailing the retail industry in India, the e-commerce stores get nearly 15%-20% of returns on purchased items. This may be due to the fact that the returns are easy and non chargeable, it added. This scheme is valid on collection under lifestyle, home decor and electronics among others. However, the additional discount varies from product to product. Myntra is boosting its customer experience with lucrative offers, Amar Nagaram, heading Myntra, Jabong reportedly said. We keep on experimenting new features, keeping in mind the performance, he added According to an ET report, the move will benefit both the company and its customers since some measure of the amount saved on reverse logistics will go to its customers. However, the scheme has not been floated by Flipkart or its other subsidiary Jabong. The e-commerce fashion giant has been rolling out<a href="https://yourstory.com/2017/11/myntra-ties-goonj-cause-donate-redeem-upgrade-fashion"> attractive offers</a> for quite sometime now. Earlier in 2018, the company floated an initiative in collaboration with Goonj, that allowed customers to upgrade — buy new products in return of the old clothes. Separately, as an upgrade to its fashion store, Myntra, in October, also launched its <a href="https://www.indiaretailing.com/2018/10/29/fashion/myntra-launches-its-in-house-plus-size-brand-sztori/">‘plus size’ </a>brand Sztori, targeting a larger range of sizes for customers. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sportswear-brand-under-armour-head-to-india-to-take-on-nike-adidas/articleshow/68250588.cms">Global sportswear brand Under Armour heads to India, brings on board former Adidas exec Tushar Goculdas</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-indian-government-just-dealt-a-serious-surprise-to-amazon-and-flipkart-heres-what-that-means-for-online-shoppers/articleshow/67272151.cms">The Indian government just dealt a serious surprise to Amazon and Flipkart — Here’s what that means for online shoppers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/has-amazon-overtaken-flipkart-the-answer-depends-on-who-is-asking/articleshow/66863163.cms">Has Amazon overtaken Flipkart? New numbers reopen the debate</a>

Myntra is luring its customers with additional discounts — but there’s a catch

India’s largest online marketplace <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> is planning to set up a brick-and-mortar store and will start with master franchisee for foreign brands in the Indian market. As per reports, Flipkart will sell foreign brands through its stores and sublicense the offline business. Reportedly, Flipkart is in talks with <keyword id="1446793" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Giordano">Giordano</keyword> for a licensing deal to sell products offline and online in India. ET quoted sources as saying Flipkart has been planning to set up stores for a long time now. Presently, the ecommerce space is undergoing a slowdown as discounts are shrinking and people are wary of buying items before touching them. Flipkart is not new to open an offline store as Urban Ladder, Pepperfry, Lenkskart, Faballey and <keyword id="6376684" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nykaa">Nykaa</keyword> have already set up brick-and-mortar stores. ET reported that <keyword id="319719" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Myntra">Myntra</keyword> is appointing two sub-franchisees for Mango that includes Jaipur-based Samarth, which operates more than 100 outlets of Benetton, Tommy Hilfiger, US Polo, Puma, Lee, Wrangler and Calvin Klein, and New Delhi-based G&amp;B that runs 25 stores of Benetton in the National Capital Region. However, Myntra is also selling its own brands.

Flipkart is opening its stores soon! Here are the details

While analysts tout the Flipkart-Myntra deal as a watershed moment in the online retailing sector, called e-tailing in popular jargon, intricacies of the deal portray it as an act of moving to a higher ground in order to avoid drowning in a flood – an Amazonian flood. 
 
Behind the scene, owners remain the same More than 80% ownership of both <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and <keyword id="319719" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Myntra">Myntra</keyword> is no more in the hands of their respective co-founders, but with venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) firms. The VC firm, <keyword id="733500" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Accel">Accel</keyword> Partners, and New York-based hedge fund, Tiger Global, are the two largest investors in both Flipkart and Myntra. In fact, Flipkart’s two earlier takeover victims – Chakpak and LetsBuy – were funded by Accel Partners as well. LetsBuy was also funded by Tiger Global. Similarly, Myntra acquired fashion brand Sher Singh, funded by Accel Partners. 
 
In all earlier acquisitions by both Flipkart and Myntra, the acquired firms were either shut down or amalgamated with the bigger brand. Is there a conspiracy angle here? Not at all. 
 
India’s retail sector economics and infrastructure play a key role here. India’s current $2.3 billion online retail market is not even 1% of China’s, which clocked $294 billion in online retailing sales last year. India currently has 25-30 million online buyers, which is no match to nearly 300 million buyers in China. So what is ailing India’s online retailing? 
 
Challenges for online retailers in India 
First of all, states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand have little online retail penetration, owing to poor infrastructure facilities such as logistics and storage. Intertwined with the poor infrastructure is the Pin code problem. In localities marked by narrow and unpaved roads in densely populated areas, delivery firms often don’t find the right addresses and at times, even potential customers are not sure of the code. 
 
Secondly, the current model of online shopping in India is based on huge discounts and multiple offers. This is because PE and VC investors heavily subsidise the purchases. Thus, bottom lines continue to bleed, so that top lines can grow. Flipkart had suffered a loss of Rs 281 crore ($47 million) on revenues of Rs 1,180 crore while Myntra’s loss stood at Rs134 crore ($22 million) on sales of Rs 212 crore. Flipkart, on an average, has been losing Rs 70 crore per month over the past one year. 
 
Since smaller e-tailers do not possess requisite funds to expand their physical operations in smaller towns and cities, mergers and acquisitions are the only way to create larger entities which can go for big-time capital expenditure. 
 The third challenge is that the underlying policy platform continues to be slippery for the overall retail industry. The <keyword id="44749" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Foreign-Direct-Investment">foreign direct investment</keyword> (FDI) in multi-brand retail has been a contentious issue in India and has not been allowed on grounds of taking away the business from smaller stores. Therefore, even in online space, FDI is allowed only in B2B (business to business) segment which includes ‘marketplace business,’ where an online retailer can provide its own platform to sell products of other brands and companies. And this is where Amazon comes into the picture. 
 
Whose model will win? 
Amazon had an offer to take over Flipkart two years ago but withdrew it later. Within a couple of years, Amazon has launched a mobile retailing app and now covers 20,000 Pin codes, which is more than any online retailer does in India. As per analysts, these major steps are aimed at a long-term model where Amazon can maintain its own inventory of products belonging to different sellers without actually relying on last-minute delivery by sellers through logistics companies. 
 
Talking about inventory, SnapDeal, the third major player in the online retail space in India, wants to stay away from it. SnapDeal has a zero-inventory model as it completely relies on third-party sellers to deliver the products to its supply chain network. It has its online logistics platform Safeship which lets third-party sellers select the best courier service from a list of about 20. 
 
Flipkart, which maintains its own inventory and supply chain network, is also relying on procuring directly from sellers on the basis of demand. In the long term, however, it is the optimum permutation and combination of both, a marketplace and an inventory-based model, which could be working for each player, depending on its product mix and future policy environment. 
 
Consumer is the real winner 
But the real winner in this battle is the Indian consumer. Indian e-tail market is touted to clock 100 million buyers, with sales nearing $40 billion by 2018. The Flipkart-Myntra combined entity already holds 50% of the Indian market share and is likely to capture 70% in the next two years. With the same set of investors putting decision-making on a single table, technology and logistics infrastructure will be shared and there will be more scope for technology innovation. 
 
The new BJP government may allow FDI in multi-brand retail and it is likely to roll out economic reforms in numerous other sectors that may witness a considerable rise in middle-class income. Thus, more choices, continuing discounts and increasing penetration of high-speed Internet all indicate that the consumer will remain the king in online retailing.

What
The Flipkart-Myntra Deal Means For E-tailing In India

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=%E2%80%8BMyntra">Myntra</a> Chief Operating Officer Ganesh Subramanian has launched a startup - Stylumia Intelligence Technology. It’s a data-driven firm that would analyse <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=fashion+trends">fashion trends</a>. 
 
"As a fashion professional, I have struggled with some unresolved questions: how much to buy? what to observe/spot in terms of trends/inspirations? What products/medium to choose for my brand/business?" Subramanian said. "The answers to which we are chasing at Stylumia." 
 
Subramanian is the CEO of the company. He jointly formed the company with Ram Prakash H. Subramanian who quit Myntra in September this year. Stylumia looks to help companies prepare the next season's collection based on evaluation of consumer behaviour. 
 
"Fashion brands currently predict designs for the next season collection on their gut feeling or follow other brands, as there is no comprehensive data available on consumer shopping behaviour and future trends," Subramanian said. The company is set to launch its first version in India by early 2016. 
 
According to Subramanian, less than half of clothes manufactured are sold at a discount. This is due to disconnect between demand and the forecast demand. "What we are trying to work on is how to help a fashion professional take an informed decision using intelligence. If companies determine the trend early, they will be able to increase revenue and profits," he said. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Myntra’s
Ex-COO launches startup to analyze fashion trends

The <keyword id="139820" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Competition-Commission">Competition Commission</keyword> has rejected allegations of unfair business practices against five online retail majors -- Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon, Jabong and Myntra -- as it did not find any prima facie evidence of violations. 
 The complaints were filed against <keyword id="1990166" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Flipkart-India-Pvt-Ltd">Flipkart India Pvt Ltd</keyword>, <keyword id="2810347" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Jasper-Infotech-Pvt-Ltd">Jasper Infotech Pvt Ltd</keyword>, <keyword id="2837603" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Xerion-Retail-Pvt-Ltd">Xerion Retail Pvt Ltd</keyword>, <keyword id="2837662" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Amazon-Seller-Services-Pvt-Ltd">Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd</keyword> and Vector E-commerce Pvt Ltd. 
After looking into the matter for the past few months, the fair trade watchdog has ruled that these entities did not violate competition norms by indulging in cartelisation or by abusing their dominant position. 
 
Jasper runs Snapdeal.com, Xerion owns Jabong.com, while Vector is the company behind Myntra.com. 
"... the Commission is of the prima facie view that no case of contravention of the provisions of either section 3 or section 4 of the Act is made out against the opposite parties," it said in a 10-page order. 
 
It was alleged that e-commerce websites and product sellers entered into exclusive agreements to sell products exclusively on select portals. 
 
In recent months, there have been rising concerns that discount sales launched by various e-commerce websites, including Flipkart were anti-competitive in nature. With regard to exclusive agreements, the <keyword id="97393" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Competition-Commission-of-India">Competition Commission of India</keyword> (CCI) said that such pacts need not result in appreciable adverse effect on competition. 
 
"It does not seem that such arrangements create any entry barrier for new entrants. It seems very unlikely that an exclusive arrangement between a manufacturer and an e-portal will create any entry barrier as most of the products which are illustrated in the information to be sold through exclusive e-partners (OPs) face competitive constraints," the order, dated April 23, said. 
Agreeing with the contention of the opposite parties, the Commission said that every product cannot be taken as a relevant market in itself. 
 
"Irrespective of whether we consider e-portal market as a separate relevant product market or as a sub-segment of the market for distribution, none of the opposite parties seems to be individually dominant. 
"There are several players in the online retail market which have been arrayed as opposite parties in the present case, offering similar facilities to their customers," the order said. 
 
The regulator noted that it does not consider it necessary to go into the question of abuse of dominance by the opposite parties.

A huge relief for Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon, Jabong and Myntra. Know more

<keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>, India's largest e-tailer, is likely to start another round of fund raising as it looks to expand its range of products in order to cater to a wider base of customers. According to media reports, it will seek about $1.5 billion and has started the process of identifying potential investors. 
 The <keyword id="35621" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="e-commerce">e-commerce</keyword> giant has raised about $1.2 billion this year. It had recently held festival sales, giving steep discounts. Following the mega festive season sale in October, during which it shipped about 80 lakh items as compared to 50 lakh on average, Flipkart has revised its internal target to reach sales worth $4 billion by the end of the current financial year. 
 
The Bangalore-based company is looking to increase the number of product categories in which they have leadership. "It has built a lead in fashion with the Myntra acquisition. The same push needs to happen across categories," said Manish Saigal, managing director at advisory firm Alvarez and Marsal. 
 <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> India had recently launched its gourmet and speciality foods category with more than 155 brands, both domestic as well as imported. Another e-tailer, <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword>, already sells products in these categories.

Flipkart To Raise $1.5 Billion, Looks Forward To Expand Its Product Range

<ul><li>The customer may bear the ultimate brunt of new regulations implemented by the Indian government on the e-commerce giants, <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> and <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>. </li><li>One of the main perks of shopping online has been that items were generally more affordable, especially during the sales — which may not be the case anymore with the negation of deep discounts. </li><li>Products will no longer be ‘exclusive’ to any platform, potentially making it difficult for sellers to set up marketing budgets with the e-commerce companies. </li><li>There still may be one loophole that the companies can take advantage of, but the official statement is that they’re still evaluating what the new directives entail.</li></ul>E-commerce business have become a part our day-to-day lives. When you’re not in the mood to brave the holiday crowd — or maybe you’re just feeling lazy — online shopping offers an easy, not to mention efficient, reprieve. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-government-tightens-rules-e-tailers-like-flipkart-and-amazon-wont-be-allowed-to-sell-products-by-companies-they-back/articleshow/67266013.cms">new directives</a> issued by the Indian government aren’t just about how it’s going to affect Walmart’s bottom line after it’s expensive Flipkart acquisition or how either company is going to re-align its supply chain — it’s about how it’s going to affect your shopping experience come February 1, 2019, when the changes come into effect. Ultimately, it’s not the sellers or the e-commerce platforms that are going to bear the brunt. It’s going to be online shoppers, like you and me, who are now accustomed to deep discounts, who may end up paying the price — quite literally — at least in the short run. No more deep discounts Diwali, Holi and Christmas — even Republic Day and Independence Day — were joyous occasions with Flipkart (including its subsidiaries Jabong and Myntra) and Amazon offering huge discounts of up to 80%. Even the average rate of discounts leveled out is at somewhere around 60%. Those discounts may be not be around anymore. Until and unless the e-commerce giants can find a way around the new policy implemented by the Indian government, shopping online may not be as affordable. On the other hand, it’s also possible that a neutral marketplace could encourage more competition that could ultimately benefit the consumer. But online retail only accounts for 2.9% of all retail sales in India, so e-commerce penetration is pretty limited to begin with and not an immediate threat to traditional retail. No more ‘exclusive’ launches Initially you may think that it’s not a bad thing that products will be available on all platforms rather than just being a ‘Flipkart-exclusive’ or an ‘Amazon-exclusive’, but being exclusive is what played a big part in allowing products to bundle in special offers. For example, the ASUS Max Pro M2 is a ‘Flipkart exclusive’ phone and it’s able to offer Flipkart’s ‘Complete Mobile Protection’ at just ₹99, which is costs ₹999 otherwise. Being an exclusive vendor will Amazon and Flipkart has its own perks like asking for a commitment on their marketing budget allowing them price their product accordingly. That being said, the next Xiaomi or OnePlus launch is probably not going to be a Amazon or Flipkart ‘exclusive’. The business of affiliate companies So the main crux of the Indian government’s new policy is that ‘American companies are barred from selling products supplied by affiliate companies on their Indian shopping sites’. As a consumer, you’re hardly paying attention to the ownership of the company — if it talks like Amazon, walks like Amazon, then it’s probably Amazon. Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case. Under the law, these companies are barred from selling any products directly. That means they have to set up local companies to be able to sell all the products we see on the site — that includes everything from books, groceries to electronics — not just the Echo etc. Kishore Biyani, owner of the Future Group, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/0c65e79e-0996-11e9-9fe8-acdb36967cfc">told local media</a> that a move like this would force the e-commerce companies to become ‘genuine marketplaces’. But, experts <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/technology/india-amazon-walmart-online-retail.html">argue</a> that it’s going to be the customer that’s ultimately going to suffer because traditional Indian sellers aren’t in a position to offer a customers an experience that’s at par with what e-commerce companies were able to accomplish. Some have even termed the new regulations as being ‘regressive’. But, there’s still a loophole. Flipkart and Amazon can still buy whatever they want to buy, and buy as much as they want to buy. Since they can’t sell to consumers — they can sell the products to their affiliates. Now, the affiliates can’t sell on the platform either — but they can sell to other companies, or directly to consumers in some way, at whatever price they want. The impact of the new regulations will only play out once the deadline of February 1, 2019 hits. As of now Amazon and Flipkart have stated that they’re still evaluating the new regulations. The Indian government seems to have a taken a turn from rolling out the red carpet for foreign investors, to pulling it out from under their feet — at the behest of protests put up by the local retailers. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-government-tightens-rules-e-tailers-like-flipkart-and-amazon-wont-be-allowed-to-sell-products-by-companies-they-back/articleshow/67266013.cms">Indian government tightens rules: E-tailers like Flipkart and Amazon won't be allowed to sell products by companies they back</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/amazon-wants-to-sell-insurance-policies-to-indians/articleshow/65856480.cms">Amazon wants to sell insurance policies to Indians</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/clash-of-the-titans-amazon-walmart-and-alibaba-to-battle-it-out-in-india/articleshow/65491805.cms">Clash of the titans: Amazon, Walmart and Alibaba to battle it out in India</a>

The Indian government just dealt a serious surprise to Amazon and Flipkart — Here’s what that means for online shoppers

Is <keyword id="2364818" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="E-commerce-3-0">e-commerce 3.0</keyword> only about business tweaks? Almost all experts will tell you that the new format of <keyword id="35621" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="e-commerce">e-commerce</keyword> is on its way, but nobody is quite sure what it is like. Some pinpoint it as online shopping, largely influenced by social media parameters, while others are betting big on the mobile impact. No doubt these are crucial indicators, but they only provide you a partial glimpse into the business-to-consumer (B2C) part of it. However, we need to take a more incisive look at the fast-evolving strategic context of e-commerce, which is throwing up some surprising trends that may affect the industry in the long run. Let us take a look at the recent happenings in the Indian e-commerce space to identify the most prominent trends and what they signify. 
	 
	 
	 
	1. Calibrated aggression for survival: That’s exactly what the much-anticipated cash-and-stock deal between <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and <keyword id="319719" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Myntra">Myntra</keyword> has taught us. Competition has been ironed out by strategic <keyword id="42411" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Merger">merger</keyword> in order to survive against global giants like <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>. Flipkart is not new to the game but co-founders Sachin and <keyword id="6364080" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Binny-Bansal">Binny Bansal</keyword> have not gone the LetsBuy way this time, for pretty predictable reasons (for your recap, Letsbuy.com was the electronics e-tailer that was acquired by Flipkart in February 2012 and shut down in May that year). 
	 Before the acquisition, the Myntra brand was way ahead of Flipkart as the <keyword id="2364834" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Biggest-India-fashion-e-tailer">biggest India fashion e-tailer</keyword>. While Flipkart required size to survive against the likes of Amazon, the bigger margins enjoyed by fashion e-tailing was an added icing to the cake (after all, fashion is expected to be the largest category in e-commerce over the next five years). So this time around, it was a calibrated aggression on Flipkart’s part and the merger, along with the much-talked-about <keyword id="2364826" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Management-autonomy">management autonomy</keyword> enjoyed by <keyword id="705865" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mukesh-Bansal">Mukesh Bansal</keyword>’s Myntra, will continue to work for two specific reasons. 
	 One is local competition, not only from <keyword id="6388367" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jabong">Jabong</keyword>, which is promoted by Berlin-based <keyword id="1965711" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rocket-Internet-GmbH">Rocket Internet GmbH</keyword> (a venture arm of the deep-pocketed Samwer brothers), but also from <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword>.com, quite a veteran in the marketplace model. It is too early to assume that Jabong has missed the bus in stamping its dominance in the <keyword id="902070" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="e-com">e-com</keyword> space and the same applies to Snapdeal, which has recently raised $100 million and could be opting for an IPO in the next 18-24 months. Moreover, if India eases its <keyword id="44528" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="FDI">FDI</keyword> policy further and allows <keyword id="2364830" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Foreign-e-commerce-companies">foreign e-commerce companies</keyword> to sell their products directly to Indian consumers (as of now, only marketplaces are allowed to do this), <keyword id="2364831" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Home-grown-e-commerce-firms">home-grown e-commerce firms</keyword> will require maximum <keyword id="573045" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Customer-loyalty">customer loyalty</keyword> to stay in business and the likes of Myntra will play a key role in ensuring enhanced <keyword id="485911" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="brand-loyalty">brand loyalty</keyword>.
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	The way ahead: Similar mergers may happen soon and we may see some monopolistic polarisation in the e-commerce space. If branding and management autonomy can be retained in the same way it had been done in the <keyword id="2196490" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart-Myntra-deal">Flipkart-Myntra deal</keyword>, a Snapdeal-Jabong deal may very well be a possibility. On the other hand, Amazon may come up with a similar offer for Snapdeal (we don’t rule out <keyword id="161767" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="eBay-India">eBay India</keyword> either) and once again, we may witness the emergence of an e-commerce mega power in India. Also, in most of these deals, unequals could be gunning for merger-of-equals status, thus complicating the merger and acquisition operations. Ultimately, the <keyword id="2364839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Entry-barrier">entry barrier</keyword> will be too high for small or niche e-commerce sites and staying profitable will become a tough proposition. 
	 
	 
	 
	2. SME focus for marketplace growth: A couple of days ago, Flipkart announced tie-ups with two SME (small and medium enterprise) promotion bodies and signed MoUs with the Federation of Indian Micro and <keyword id="6375845" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Small-and-medium-enterprises">Small and Medium Enterprises</keyword> (<keyword id="174192" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="FISME">FISME</keyword>) and the National Centre for Design and Product Development (<keyword id="2348217" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="NCDPD">NCDPD</keyword>). With this move, the Bangalore firm expects to create a powerful affiliation with 50,000 SMEs and artisans by helping them with data analytics, marketing and customer acquisition. The company is also holding talks with several <keyword id="533862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manufacturing-clusters">manufacturing clusters</keyword> in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat in a bid to attract more sellers on board and thus ensure strong growth for its marketplace model. 
	 
	As of now, Flipkart has about 3,000 sellers on board, mostly SMEs, and offers 15 million products across 70-plus categories. The company aims to grow the seller base to 12,000 by the end of the current fiscal, according to Economic Times. Myntra, too, has about 100 sellers on board and plans to increase this number to 1,000 by fiscal-end. However, this is too paltry a number, compared to the largest Chinese <keyword id="2049184" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="E-commerce-marketplace">e-commerce marketplace</keyword> <keyword id="302749" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Alibaba">Alibaba</keyword>.com that has about 20 lakh SMEs on board, but has less than 20,000 in India. 
	 As for other key players in India, here are some mindboggling numbers according to media reports. Snapdeal currently features about 500 categories, 100,000 sellers and more than 5 million products (excluding books and movies); eBay has 1.1 million product listings at any given point <keyword id="54921" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="spread">spread</keyword> across 2,000 categories and 45,000 sellers on board while Amazon has 15 million products from 5,000 sellers across 24 categories. Amazon has already opened two Fufillment Centers in India, enabling home-grown SMEs to get a scalable and robust national platform. Sellers opting for FBA (<keyword id="2023087" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Fulfillment-by-Amazon">Fulfillment By Amazon</keyword>) send their products to these ‘fulfillment centers’ and once an order is placed, Amazon packs and ships the order.
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	The way ahead: Right now, no one can possibly predict whether the death of the inventory-led e-commerce model is imminent. But one thing is pretty certain – e-commerce businesses need as many products and categories as possible to enhance customer engagement. However, that won’t be possible without growing their marketplaces and bringing on board a huge number of sellers. Hence, the <keyword id="2364811" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="SME-focus">SME focus</keyword> and <keyword id="6630005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="private-labels">private labels</keyword> are going to dominate e-commerce 3.0. 
	 
	 
	 
	3. VAS for better customer loyalty: In spite of a Mumbai firm delivering pizza on an experimental basis, civil/commercial drones à la <keyword id="2364850" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amazon-Prime-Air-drones">Amazon Prime Air drones</keyword> are still not a reality in India (neither they are commercially ready in the US). However, Amazon, eBay, Flipkart and Snapdeal are trying their best to ensure ‘fastest possible’ delivery in the country. While <keyword id="6354743" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amazon-India">Amazon India</keyword> offers same-day and guaranteed one-day delivery, eBay is testing a 9-hour delivery model in Mumbai. 
	 Only recently, Flipkart has launched its annual subscription service called <keyword id="2230132" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart-First">Flipkart First</keyword>, offering a number of benefits including <keyword id="1591575" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="free-shipping">free shipping</keyword> for any purchase, free in-a-day guaranteed delivery, <keyword id="2364858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Discounted-same-day-delivery">discounted same-day delivery</keyword>, 24×7 <keyword id="2364859" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Priority-customer-service">priority customer service</keyword> and more. This is similar to the lucrative logistics part of Amazon’s Prime subscription (currently not available in India), but Amazon offers a bigger service bouquet for its Prime subscribers, including access to songs, movies, TV shows and books. Flipkart, or any other Indian e-tailer for that matter, is yet to launch such extensive customer engagement programme, but the bait has been thrown by Flipkart and to some extent, by Snapdeal, which also offers free same-day delivery in certain regions and hopes to expand this service next year. 
	 
	The way ahead: Some experts feel that e-com businesses will soon curtail services like <keyword id="1972252" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Express-delivery">express delivery</keyword> and free shipping in order to generate more cash. High transportation costs and other logistics issues have been cited as the main culprits. But keeping in mind that <keyword id="758541" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amazon-Prime">Amazon Prime</keyword> works more as a <keyword id="1426078" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="loyalty-programme">loyalty programme</keyword> and less as a revenue-churner, fixing fickle customer loyalty may lie in developing these services. Now that Flipkart is going to market <keyword id="2364868" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Affordable-tablets">affordable tablets</keyword> under its <keyword id="2338688" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="DigiFlip">DigiFlip</keyword> label, the Indian e-commerce giant can very well experiment with some Prime-like services and craft user experience based on ‘All things Flipkart’ just as Amazon does with its affordable <keyword id="785825" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Kindle-Fire">Kindle Fire</keyword>. If that happens and other companies follow suit, e-commerce 3.0 in India will evolve into an inclusive and exciting user experience. For now, let us wait and watch. 
	 
	Images: Thinkstock/Getty Images

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