Flipkart opens experience centre in Kolkata

Walmart-owned e-commerce major Flipkart has set up a ‘Furniture Experience Center’ in Kolkata, marking its first offline presence in eastern India.

The centre has been opened in collaboration with Emami Realty at its township project and is spread across around 2,200 sq ft.

The aim is to lessen the gap between customers as they prefer for ‘touch and feel’ before buying furniture online. The experience centre will be showcasing Flipkart’s certified products at strategic locations across cities, the company said in a release.

There is home furniture available at the centre from 11 brands including @home by Nilkamal, Royal Oak, House of Pataudi and Perfect Homes.

This is in line with the increasing importance of the East as a market for Flipkart Furniture, said the release. Currently, furniture is among the fastest growing marketplaces in the country, with over 2 lakh products across various categories, providing delivery and selective installation across over 16,000 pin codes, it added. The segment is witnessing a growth of over 100 per cent year-on-year.

As per the industry reports, the Indian furniture industry is about US$ 17 billion in size, of which online accounts for just 3 per cent, growing at a CAGR of 80-85 per cent.

Mr Nishit Garg, Vice-President, Furniture and Books and General Merchandise at Flipkart, said, “This is part of our broader vision for the region, which will see further investments in the coming months.”

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.