Timeline: Flipkart’s journey from a bookseller platform to India’s largest e-commerce company

Moneycontrol News

Flipkart, in the news for its mega deal with Walmart, can proudly claim to be the torchbearer of the Indian startups ecosystem.

Here’s a timeline of Flipkart’s journey over the years:

2007

• Flipkart founded - 15th September


• Website launched - 15th October


• First book sold - John Wood ‘Leaving Microsoft to Change the World’


• 2 people team, 3 servers, 1 category (books) and 20 shipments

• 1st Flipkart office - #447, Koramangala - 34


• Launched 24x7 Customer Service


• 8 member team, 3 servers, 1 category and 3400 shipments

• 1st round of funding - $1 Million from Accel Partners - September


• Opened offices at Delhi & Mumbai


• 150 member team, 3 servers, 1 category and 20,000 shipments


• First book opened for pre-orders - Dan Brown ‘The Lost Symbol’

• Launched own logistics arm - eKart


• Launched 30 day return policy


• Acquired WeRead


• Launched COD


• Categories launched: Music, Movies, Games, Electronics and Mobiles

• New categories added: Cameras, Computers, Laptops, Flyte, Large, Health, Personal Care, Stationery


• Acquired Chakpak and Mime360


• Launched 30-day replacement


• Delivering to over 600 cities

• Launched mobile app


• Acquired Letsbuy


• Launched Fashion, Perfumes, Watches, Menswear, Toys, Posters, Baby care

• Started Next Day Delivery


• Received funding of $360 Million


• Sold 1 lakh books in a single day


• Launched Women’s Lifestyle


• Made news by hiring the single largest number (by any recruiter) from the IIT campuses - 118

• Hit a run rate of $1bn GMV – the first Indian internet company to do so!


• Acquired Myntra


• Bought majority stake in Jeeves and ngpay


• Launched Flipkart First and In-a-Day Guarantee


• Launched Scheduled Delivery


• Launched large appliances


• Began exclusive associations – starting with Moto and Xiaomi


• First ever Big Billion Day!


• Launched Same Day Delivery

• Launched Home Category, Maternity


• Acquired AdIQuity and AppIterate


• Acquires payment services firm FX Mart


• Acquires majority stake in Jeeves


• Launched Ad Platform and Strategic Brands Group


• Brand Refresh - New logo


• Launched Flipkart Lite


• Introduced industry leading employee policies for maternity, paternity & adoption

• First Indian app to cross 50 million users


• Crossed 100 million registered customers


• Sachin and Binny Bansal awarded 'Asian of the Year' award by Straits Times of Singapore as part of the 'The Disruptors' group


• Acquired PhonePe, India’s first UPI (Unified Payments Interface) based app


• Invested in Qikpod for locker deliveries


• Introduces No Cost EMI to customers


• Acquires Jabong


• Launched Flipkart Assured

• Flipkart completes a decade


• PhonePe crosses 10mn downloads


• Myntra & Roadster launch the World's First Talking store!


• Flipkart raises $1.4 billion from Tencent, eBay & Microsoft, and acquires eBay India

• Moved into a new campus at Embassy Tech Village - One. Flipkart | Better Together


• Investment from Walmart


• “LinkedIn Top Companies 2018: Where India wants to work now” list, two years in succession


• 1,30,000+ sellers onboarded


• Housing 80 Million+ Products


• Walmart buys 77 percent stake in Flipkart

Flipkart snapshot, in numbers

• 17 Million + products shipped every month


• 20 Million Visits per day


• 175 million registered users


• 80+ Categories

Acquisition Timeline
2010 - weRead