Flipkart sellers share how the Big Billion Days sale sets the stage for exponential growth

Basniwal Trading Company, a Jaipur-based apparel manufacturing company’s office is abuzz with packing and shipping hundreds of orders of dupattas they are receiving as part of Flipkart’s ongoing Big Billion Days sale. The scene is no different for New Delhi-based Adokart Online Services, an online retailing company that retails men’s t-shirts and masks.

Bigger. Better. Busier

Adokart founder Robin Kumar says, “I am participating for the second time in Flipkart's Big Billion Days sale. The first time I participated in 2019, I didn’t realise the magnitude of opportunity that the sale offered and we went out of stock in no time. Last year, we couldn’t participate because of the challenges in sourcing the raw materials due to the pandemic. That’s why we worked backwards and prepped up for this year’s sale.” He says, the company is expecting to clock revenue of Rs 4-5 lakh during the week-long sale. The company has added two additional team members to manage the surge in order volumes and ensure that the orders are dispatched almost instantly. “We start our day early in the morning and work till late at night. When the orders start coming in, we immediately start packing the products and dispatch all the orders by 12 noon. We then hand over the products to the Flipkart wishmasters who come to collect the products,” he shares.

For Dinesh Kumawat’s Basniwal Trading Company, the Big Billion Days sale is a crucial time of the year. The online seller receives 10x more orders a day in comparison to business as usual days. This year, he is expecting to make Rs 60-70 lakh in revenue during the sale period. In addition, he has introduced new designs of dupattas, the flagship product of the company. “As a manufacturer, I strategically plan and work towards launching new products just a day before the Big Billion Days sale. By introducing new variations in the products, be it in terms of colour, design or material, we are able to catch the attention of consumers. And, given that there are a lot of cultural festivities in the months of October and November and dupattas are part of the traditional ensemble, we are able to tap into the customer demand,” he says. Flipkart Big Billion Days 2021 is Dinesh’s fourth year of participation. Like Robin, his first experience of the sale in 2018 was that he ran out of stock. “While I had heard from other sellers, I still anticipated that my products would be sold out,” he shares. The next year, he had geared up to meet the festive demand. “We received about 500 orders a day. Last year, the order volume shot up to 800-1200 per day. This year, we are anticipating anywhere between 1000-1400 orders a day,” he says.

Journey towards becoming sellers on Flipkart

The two entrepreneurs decided to become online sellers on Flipkart when they found themselves at the crossroads of their professional journey. A job in the area of marketing saw Dinesh earning Rs 10,000 a month. Dissatisfied with the financial growth that the job offered, he decided to start an online business. He was encouraged by his friend, who was a seller on Flipkart, to join the platform. “I took the advice and initially started selling casual shirts on Flipkart in 2017. Seeing the demand for dupattas, I made the shift to that product category. With the steady growth, I not only was selling the dupattas but also manufacturing them.” Today, 32-year-old Dinesh earns more than Rs 1 lakh a month, which he says is a huge personal milestone for him and his family. And, with the earnings from the business via the platform, he has achieved yet another milestone by purchasing a house.

The story is not very different for 35-year-old Robin. Like most Indian families, Robin’s parents wished that their son would work in the IT sector. Completing his Masters in Computer Applications and getting a job in an IT company, saw Robin achieving his family’s cherished dream. “But, even after working for three years in the company, I saw no room for growth,” he shares. Quitting soon after, he found it challenging to find a good job with a dip in the job market. It was at this crucial juncture that he decided to take up online selling. “Online selling didn't require big capital investment. This was a big draw for me. And, I decided to start my journey as an online seller on Flipkart,” he recalls. Robin shares this changed his life’s trajectory. “Until I started online selling on Flipkart, I was not able to achieve the level of success or earning as I do now. I have not only been able to establish an online business but also set up my own factory and entered into apparel manufacturing,” he says.

A well-designed support system

As first-generation entrepreneurs, one of the reasons for their success as sellers on Flipkart was the support they received from the platform, especially at crucial junctures in their businesses. Dinesh shares, “When I first started selling on Flipkart, I wasn't very clear about how to categorise my products and make them more visible and appealing to my customers. The account managers on Flipkart taught me how to group my products so that the product differentiation was noticeable to customers.” He adds that the e-commerce platform also helped him identify the competitors and how Basniwal Trading Company could identify market gaps and translate them into opportunities. “This support helped us launch new products such as dupattas with golden zari at low prices, which helped meet the customers’ demands,” he says.

Dinesh and Robin underline that Flipkart offers a seamless experience that is supportive of their growth and understanding of their pain points. “Right from cataloguing on the website to the delivery service, Flipkart provides everything. In addition, logistics is no longer a challenge with Ekart,” shares Robin. Dinesh adds, “Flipkart gives personal attention to sellers. From informing that your products are out of stock to constantly guiding you to do better business, the Flipkart experience stands apart. As a Flipkart seller, you begin to grow, succeed and take pride in what you do.”

The 2021 edition of the Big Billion Days sale will see 375,000+ sellers like Dinesh and Robin participating in the event and take their growth a level up.