"Barriers between shopping, entertainment will cease to exist": Flipkart's Prakash Sikaria

The vice president - growth and monetisation says Flipkart has strategically identified video as a key platform to onboard the next 200 million consumers into the e-commerce fold.

When Flipkart announced the launch of its video streaming platform, Flipkart Video, in 2018, many tipped it to rival the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar. A Walmart entity, Flipkart has deep pockets to create 'Sacred Games' or 'Forgotten Army' type of shows, or any other Rs 100 crore-plus projects.

However, as Prakash Sikaria, vice president - growth and monetisation at Flipkart, puts it, "Our focus today is on interactivity and gamification." Credited with launches like Flipkart Travel, Flipkart Plus, Flipkart Ads, Flipkart SuperCoins, and the mind behind Flipkart Video, Sikaria has been with the Bengaluru-based e-commerce platform since 2014.

Flipkart Video streams movies and shows acquired, or licensed, and also commissions ‘Originals’. Viewers watch videos on Flipkart to earn rewards, which they can later redeem while shopping. Says Sikaria, "As users evolve in their digital journey, the barriers between shopping and entertainment will cease to exist."

At a time when Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar are making headlines by acquiring movies before they’re released in theatres, Flipkart Video has chosen to focus on bridging the gap between content and commerce through entertainment.

In an interview with afaqs!, Sikaria speaks about consumer behaviour on the platform, among other things.