Flipkart unveils '2GUD Local' to bring popular offline retailers, shopping destinations online

Flipkart said 2GUD Local will enable local stores (single brand or multi-brand stores and other shopping destinations) and retailers to expand their digital footprint to connect more effectively with their consumers.

New Delhi: Flipkart's independent value-driven platform, 2GUD on Friday said it has launched '2GUD Local' aimed at extending the benefits of e-commerce to traditional retail businesses.

The new format will offer offline stores, brands and shopping destinations an opportunity to unlock the benefits of technology and the social commerce hybrid retail model to reach millions of pan-India consumers, a statement said.

2GUD Local will enable local stores (single brand or multi-brand stores and other shopping destinations) and retailers to expand their digital footprint to connect more effectively with their consumers, it added.

2GUD Local has started with KLM Fashion Mall in Bengaluru. Launched in 2017, KLM Fashion Mall has expanded its reach through 17 showrooms in the last three years.

Through long-format videos shot within store premises by influencers, coupled with engaging narratives and conversations, 2GUD Local partner stores will be able to showcase their latest products and collections and offer them to online users, the statement said.

2GUD Local will assist stores in areas including cataloguing, consumer fulfilment, advertising, and marketing.

This engagement will provide retailers with an additional channel for sales and access to new geographies for consumer acquisition.

"Value spending and convenience are becoming key aspects of online shopping experiences. We have launched 2GUD Local to help local brands leverage traffic on our already-popular marketplace and take their offerings to a pan-India market," Flipkart Head of 2GUD Chanakya Gupta said.

He added that audience engagement on the platform is very high and it will allow brands to have more facetime with shoppers.

"2GUD Local will enable them to offer as close to an in-store experience as they can, online. We look forward to partnering with more local partner brands and serving consumers across the country in times when social distancing is of utmost importance," he said.

2GUD currently covers more than 600 product segments and offers both new and refurbished products. The platform has more than a million consumers across more than 15,000 PIN codes in India.

(PTI Report)