Flipkart announces Big Billion Days sale, to create more than 70,000 direct jobs

Flipkart on Saturday announced that its annual Big Billion Days festive sale will be launched on October 16. The six-day sale that commences a day prior to the beginning of Navaratri festival can be accessed by Flipkart Plus customers on October 15, the company said in a statement.

The festive months typically drive bulk of the sales for e-commerce firms. This time around, companies are gearing up to handle a considerable surge in consumer orders as the pandemic has boosted online spends and nudged customers to shop on e-commerce platforms. Companies are estimated to touch $4 billion in GMV (gross merchandise value) during the first leg of the festive sales this year, registering growth of 50% year-on-year, according to estimates by consulting firm RedSeer.

Flipkart expects Big Billion Days to create more than 70,000 direct jobs, besides creating room for lakhs of indirect seasonal employment opportunities. The company said it had enabled thousands of new sellers to join its platform in the last six months while expanding its kirana onboarding programme to include more than 50,000 partners, who facilitate last-mile deliveries to in more than 850 cities.

“This festive event continues to focus on Flipkart’s commitment to provide value for consumers, opportunities for growth for MSMEs and sellers, and employment generation through e-commerce,” said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO at Flipkart Group.