Focussed on mobility; no timeline to go app-only: Flipkart

eCommerce major Flipkart on Tuesday said it is focused on developing products for mobile devices but has not decided on the timeline to go app-only. The Bengaluru-based firm, which today added a social feature 'Ping' to its app, has about 50 million monthly active users of its mobile app. "We are focusing on mobile. There is a huge market, 900 million people today have mobile phones in the country... However, there is no timeline on shutting down any other format," Flipkart Chief Product Officer Punit Soni told reporters here. Flipkart is one of the country's largest online marketplace and competes with the likes of Snapdeal, Amazon and smaller players in the country.

Myntra, a company that Flipkart acquired last year, has already gone app-only. Talking about Ping, Soni said the idea is to add the social experience to online shopping. "Traditionally, when people shopped, they would ask their family and friends for opinion. For online, it happens in isolation where you may share screen shots with friends, asking for their opinion," he added. With Ping, users can chat with friends in their phonebook in a WhatsApp-like chat window and share product details directly from the Flipkart's mobile app. The product took 4-5 months to develop.

Currently in beta stage, Ping will be available through an invite only model in the beginning.