Flipkart: journey of an Indian e-commerce start-up

Abstract

Subject area

Principles of management, Marketing, Finance, Strategy, Supply Chain Management, Entrepreneurship.

Study level/applicability

Master's Degree level courses, after students have been taught most of the basics related to management, marketing, finance, strategy, supply chain management and entrepreneurship.

Case overview

Founded in 2007 with an initial investment of less than USA $10,000, Flipkart has come a long way to become the largest E-commerce player in India with a registered user base of 9.6 million and valued at USA $1.6 billion. Efficient use of various marketing strategies has catapulted the company to its success. Till now, they have overcome most of the hurdles successfully. However, a lot needs to be discussed to find out ways to meet the challenges thrown by its competitors, to maintain its supremacy over other online e-retailers and continue its exponential growth to meet USA $1 billion sales by 2015.

Expected learning outcomes

After discussion of the case study, the student should be able to appreciate general business processes and develop basic analytical skills to resolve challenges faced by a fast-growing online start-up company in an emerging country like India. At the end, the students should be able to prepare a marketing plan for their own business within a stipulated budget.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Citation

Dutta, N. and Bhat, A.K. (2014), "Flipkart: journey of an Indian e-commerce start-up", , Vol. 4 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-03-2014-0064