That, however, does not mean that the Flipkart group CEO is reluctant to take tough decisions. Last year, when he realised that the e-commerce company’s top-heavy structure was dragging it down, he slashed the number of senior vice presidents from 23 to four in eight months. He had his job cut out when cofounder Binny Bansal left, and Walmart, which acquired a controlling stake in the company a year ago, trusted him with taking Flipkart forward. And it is far from done. Krishnamurthy wants a lot more people to buy from Flipkart. “We are now focused on bringing the next 200 million into the fold,” he says in an exclusive interview. Excerpts:
Q/ A year ago, Flipkart became part of Walmart. How has this changed India’s largest e-commerce company?
A/Our focus has always been on democratising e-commerce in India by access and affordability, driving customer experience and solving problems through innovation and technology. That unwavering focus on Bharat will continue to drive us. One year of our partnership with Walmart has been great and has underscored the focus on being a homegrown e-commerce player with a mission to solve local problems locally and leverage best practices from Walmart.
Having established the industry in India and having brought the first 100 million customers online, we are now focused on bringing the next 200 million into the fold and expanding the network into more disconnected areas through technology and India-specific solutions.
Q/ What all has Flipkart learnt from Walmart’s vast experience in retail?
This story is from the September 15, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the September 15, 2019 edition of THE WEEK.
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