Snapdeal integrates offline and online retail channels

Its new omni-channel platform combines online discovery of products with same-day, hyper-local fulfillment with value-added services.

E-commerce marketplace Snapdeal has launched an omni-channel platform integrating offline and online retail channels. This platform enables online discovery and ordering along with faster hyper-local fulfillment. The omni-channel platform will allow them to access value-added and expert services as a part of their purchase, including demonstration, installation, activation or returns at a store near them.

The first categories to go live on omni-channel will be mobile phones in partnership with The Mobile Store (TMS), automobile tyres in association with Michelin, invertors and batteries in partnership with Luminous and fashion products with Shoppers Stop.

Speaking at the launch, Kunal Bahl, co-founder and CEO, Snapdeal, said, "Our teams have worked tirelessly to build a seamless omni-channel platform which we call 'Janus', referring to the Roman God of beginnings, transitions, gates, doors and doorways. This platform will blur the lines between offline and online retail, demonstrating that both channels can act as gateways to each other. We are confident that our customers will find our omni-channel offerings to be very intuitive, making their shopping experience extremely convenient."

Snapdeal's omni-channel platform seeks to fulfill this need in partnership with its ecosystem partners. For example, customers buying their phones on Snapdeal will have the option to pick up or get their phone delivered from the nearest TMS store within two hours of ordering. TMS trained agents will also help set up and demonstrate phone features in addition to offering services like SIM resizing, data transfer, screen guard installation, all from the comfort of the buyer's home. Customers will also be able to access these services at the nearest store, if they choose the pick-up option. These services will be available across 70 cities in India. Similar value-added services will be available across product categories through the omni-channel platform.

Tony Navin, senior vice president, Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, adds, "We have received an enthusiastic response from brick and mortar retailers across product categories for providing omni-channel offerings. We look forward to scaling up this ecosystem by leaps and bounds in the coming months with more like-minded partners."

In February 2010, Bahl along with Rohit Bansal started Snapdeal, which claims to have 200,000 sellers delivering to over 5000 cities and towns in India. It is backed by investors and individuals such as SoftBank, BlackRock, Temasek, eBay Inc., Premji Invest, Intel Capital, Sequoia Capital and Ratan Tata, among others.