7 OMG Facts About Flipkart Which Will Shock You!

The marriage of Walmart and Flipkart has ignited a series of debates all across the world – Walmart shareholders are still in shock, as their beloved company has spent $16 billion to acquire a website from India; while some analysts in India are stating that Flipkart shouldn’t have sold out to an American company.

Meanwhile. Sachin Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart has decided to make a cool exit with $1 billion in this pocket for this 5.5% share and Google is planning how to leverage their 7% stake in the new entity.

And, the online shoppers are speculating some crazy deals and offers from Walmart, which is known for their ‘Everyday Sale Business Model’.

In the midst of this exciting time, when India’s largest-ever acquisition has just materialised, let us discuss some lesser known, hidden facts about Flipkart and their founders.

The purpose of this post is to make you aware of this Indian commerce portal, which inspired Walmart to scoop out $16 billion, and re-write Indian commerce story!

Fact #1: This Is Not An Accident!

The start of Flipkart as a small online bookstore wasn’t an accident It was a well-planned move by Sachin and Binny Bansal, who are both alumni of prestigious IIT Delhi, and then were co-workers at Amazon, which later turned out to be their biggest competitor. The year was 2007, and the place was Bengaluru.

Fact #2: The First Order!

After they launched Flipkart.com, an online bookstore, the very first book they sold was ‘Leaving Microsoft to Change the World’ by John Wood. As per some sources, Sachin Bansal did the packing and Binny Bansal was the delivery boy. In an interview, Sachin Bansal told that in the initial days, they used to write fake reviews of books on their site to inspire buyers to make the purchase. It worked!

Fact #3: The Big Twist!

Flipkart’s Big Billion Day sale was the big twist which propelled them into the big league, as they edged past Amazon’s market share. Big Billion Day started in 2015, in the three days of the sale, they sold products worth $200 million. Next year, in 2016, Big Billion Day was even bigger, as they managed to sell products worth $225 million in three days. During this sales day period, Flipkart sold more shoes and TVs online than the combined sale of all retailers in India!

Fact #4: Mobile, Mobile, Mobile!

In the last few years, Flipkart had been relentlessly focussing on mobile. In 2016, they decided to completely stop their website, and sell only via their mobile app. After dissatisfaction and uproar from their loyal users, they decided to bring back their mobile site. Their focus on mobile is clearly evident from the fact that Flipkart’s mobile app was the first Indian to cross 50 million downloads.

Fact #5: Founders Aren’t Alike!

Science says that opposites attract, and this fact holds true for Flipkart’s founders Sachin and Binny Bansal. Sachin is a passionate game freak, and back in the old days, if an employee was able to beat Sachin, he/she was treated to a dinner. Flipkart still holds gaming tournaments for employees. Meanwhile, Binny Bansal loves outdoor and travel. His water-rafting adventures are quite famous.

Fact #6: Rejection Doesn’t Matter Much!

Rejections have been part of the founders’ journey, and from the looks of it, that didn’t deter them. Before Flipkart faced rejections from investors, Binny Bansal was rejected twice by Google. Although Sachin and Binny went to the same school and same college, the idea for Flipkart materialised only when they joined Amazon within a year. While Sachin joined in 2006, Binny joined in 2007.

Fact #7: Controversies Didn’t Stop Them!

Flipkart handled controversies graciously, and never allowed them to stop the momentum.

For instance, in 2016, the Gorkha community became furious with Flipkart over their racist advertisements; then last year Sachin and Binny Bansal faced police action over bounced cheques. Flipkart even faced a boycott from premier institutions over placement controversy, and even their Myntra acquisition was hotly debated.

Bonus: The highpoint in the professional life of Sachin and Binny Bansal was in 2015, when they made their debut on the Forbes List of Richest Indians, with assets worth $1.3 billion for both.

We wish best of luck to Flipkart and we welcome Walmart into India. The game of commerce supremacy has just begun!

Are you aware of any other interesting fact about Flipkart and their founders? Do let us know by commenting right here!