Reason behind Flipkart takes U-turn on app-only strategy & Launches Flipkart Lite

A couple of months back, it was all over the place. Everyone was discussing about it. Be it tech websites or blogs or newspapers or News Channels, all these primary sources debated on the information dispersed that Flipkart, one of the most sorted and trusted online shopping portals, was all geared up for app-only and quit desktop version. Does foraying into an app-only format make sense? It was debated all over with mixed reactions and feedbacks.

App-only: New face of e-commerce

There are no two opinions saying that the Internet usage has increased manifold in the recent past in the country. Ditto the consumption of smartphones. According to reports, Flipkart is getting 70-75% of its total traffic from its mobile app. This was the primary and the most obvious reason behind the idea. Majority of population in India access the internet through smartphones. Yes, we agree that most of the population in India spend their time using their smartphones. Installing an App is always a help. Smartphones is the new face of e-commerce in the near future. Undoubtedly. You can get prompt and immediate alerts and offers on the go. Whether you are vacationing or you are watching a much awaited movie in the cinema hall, you will get best deals and offers instantly on your smartphone.

Revamped mobile version "Flipkart Lite"

Flipkart did the same with Myntra after acquiring it. As per the announcement made, Flipkart should have gone app-only shopping website by September this year, but it did not happen (so far). Moreover, Flipkart has now re-launched their old mobile site in a new bottle and named it ‘Flipkart Lite’. It will be accessible only via Google Chrome on Android phones. Why Now? What made them to do so? Are they planning to shelve their app-only platform idea? Let's put a light on it. But before going any further, it is necessary to understand why they chose only app based platform keeping in mind the stiff competition from other online shopping portals in India.

Instead of going app-only, Flipkart has now reframed its old picture and tried to give it a better and richer look. Recent reports suggest that Flipkart’s new mobile version is built with Google’s input. Google has been trying crawling mobile sites but could not do so effectively. This renovation comes with some cool features - option to add the Flipkart Lite page to the homescreen on chrome for better accessibility.

Switching back to m-version. Why?

For beginners, who just started using smartphones (especially middle aged people), it would be so difficult for them to surf and buy products using apps. Limited storage space and continuous internet data consumption - these two smartphone problems usually faced by most of the smartphone using population. Such problems will be solved with the site's mobile version. A smartphone user can access to the mobile site as per its convenience and with limited data consumption.

After converting Myntra into app-only format, the company witnessed the dip of 10% in their next sales figures. It is evident that there are chunks of people in India who still wants to buy products online using laptops or desktop. Browsing through desktop and laptop helps you making better buying decision. Thanks to bigger screen and better image quality. Flipkart has 25% of its total consumers are still using traditional ways to shop online - Computers. Taking a risk of losing 25% of sales is a nightmare for any company.

We understand and agree that a smartphone user (or an App) user can get prompt push notifications, customized offers. But restricting online shoppers to just apps is too risky.


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