Flipkart Instant Delivery (3 Hours) - Will It Be A Game Changer?
Flipkart takes delivery of their products very seriously. They made their name in the eCommerce industry in India by delivering the products to customers within the promised time and when the volume of the orders grew; they even started their own logistics company (eKart Logistics Pvt. Ltd.) to eliminate the dependence on the courier companies. I'm not sure how important is quick delivery to the buyers, but Flipkart may just have enough numbers to show that the customers want instant delivery of the products they've ordered.
Flipkart's chalked out a plan to deliver the products instantly - within 3 hours of completion of online payment (or even CoD). Flipkart has been offering next day delivery across major cities throughout India and 'same day delivery' in metros and other high-volume destinations. The company wants to up their game and make the rivals look sluggish by offering deliveries in just 3 hours of placing the order. The plan, as I understand, is expected to roll out fully in the coming 4 to 6 months at select destinations.
I've been a Flipkart Prime subscriber (Rs. 500/year) and have been disappointed on several times. Most of the products sold by WS Retail (flipkart's own retail company) do not promise Next Day Delivery. Even the standard delivery takes >3-4 days and I'm absolutely not sure how is Flipkart going do address instant deliveries. For example, I placed an order for a camera in December and the shipment was stuck in Delhi for about 2 days. I canceled the order for a better deal.
Deliver the product like it's a hot pizza: Super fast deliveries aren't new to the industry. Dominos has been promising '30 minutes, else free' for all their pizza shipments for a long time now and they've been doing it quite successfully. Flipkart will face the challenge of setting up warehouses close to the major cities where they promise this service and given the range of products they offer - it's definitely going to be huge challenge to find most appropriate locations.
The Price: I wonder whether people would actually pay a lot more to get the products instantly. Unlike vegetables and items that inherently come with very short expiry time; most of the products sold by Flipkart can wait - for a day or two. I'd like to ask all of you - how many of you would be willing to pay; say Rs. 149 or Rs. 199 more to get your products faster? I'd rather go and shop for the product myself than paying a premium. You might be aware - offering the products at a lower price than the competition isn't the crux of the game anymore!
Flipkart's chalked out a plan to deliver the products instantly - within 3 hours of completion of online payment (or even CoD). Flipkart has been offering next day delivery across major cities throughout India and 'same day delivery' in metros and other high-volume destinations. The company wants to up their game and make the rivals look sluggish by offering deliveries in just 3 hours of placing the order. The plan, as I understand, is expected to roll out fully in the coming 4 to 6 months at select destinations.
I've been a Flipkart Prime subscriber (Rs. 500/year) and have been disappointed on several times. Most of the products sold by WS Retail (flipkart's own retail company) do not promise Next Day Delivery. Even the standard delivery takes >3-4 days and I'm absolutely not sure how is Flipkart going do address instant deliveries. For example, I placed an order for a camera in December and the shipment was stuck in Delhi for about 2 days. I canceled the order for a better deal.
Deliver the product like it's a hot pizza: Super fast deliveries aren't new to the industry. Dominos has been promising '30 minutes, else free' for all their pizza shipments for a long time now and they've been doing it quite successfully. Flipkart will face the challenge of setting up warehouses close to the major cities where they promise this service and given the range of products they offer - it's definitely going to be huge challenge to find most appropriate locations.
The Price: I wonder whether people would actually pay a lot more to get the products instantly. Unlike vegetables and items that inherently come with very short expiry time; most of the products sold by Flipkart can wait - for a day or two. I'd like to ask all of you - how many of you would be willing to pay; say Rs. 149 or Rs. 199 more to get your products faster? I'd rather go and shop for the product myself than paying a premium. You might be aware - offering the products at a lower price than the competition isn't the crux of the game anymore!
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