Coronavirus: Flipkart goes all out to support sellers as it gets ready to restart operations

One of India’s leading ecommerce marketplaces, Flipkart has brought out a comprehensive support system for the two lakh sellers on its platform as they get ready to restart their operations from April 20.

Among many sectors, the government has allowed the ecommerce industry to restart their operations even as the country is in the lockdown phase till May 3 to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

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Even as this ecosystem gets ready to start its business, the supply chain team at Flipkart continues to maintain an intense focus on safety and health procedures in all its facilities and staff that will support the movement of goods for sellers.

The major initiatives undertaken by Flipkart for sellers include:

Service support

Flipkart has provided its sellers the flexibility of choosing to work or not work during the lockdown period, without any concerns of their performance metrics being hampered.

Sellers who are providing essential items are being given regular updates on the product demand and what they should be adding in their inventory to maintain a healthy stock

Flipkart has offered all its sellers a health insurance plan specific to COVID-19, to cover the sellers along with their families and employees, in partnership with Digit Insurance at special rates.

The ecommerce marketplace has also waived off the storage fee for April, under its Fulfilled by Flipkart service that allows sellers to store their inventory in Flipkart Fulfillment Centers for faster deliveries.

Financial support

Flipkart is also offering some special offers on loans that sellers can avail through Flipkart’s Growth Capital programme.

A three-month moratorium period has also been implemented on existing loans availed through Flipkart’s Growth Capital programme. This means that sellers are not obligated to make a payment during this period. Any additional amount on seller’s existing loans sanctioned during this period will have an extended financial limit with a six-month moratorium period.

For the Sellers Protection Fund (SPF) claims, sellers have been given an extension for all the returns received between March 7 and March 23 to ensure that they have enough time to raise their claims once the company fully resumes its operations.