Sections of the Document
Background Context
A little about the Industry
Business Case Study
Customer Segmentation, Value Proposition, & Launch Plan
Supply Chain Case Study
Mid Mile Operations in Tamil Nadu
Product Case Study
Seamless Integration & Supercharged Loyalty for Q-Commerce
HR Case Study
On-Ground Workforce Modeling for Quick Commerce
Metrics for Evaluation
Parameters against which the evaluation will happen in each round
Background Context
Flipkart, which commenced operations in 2007 by specializing in book sales, has
now evolved into India’s largest e-commerce player. With a vast subscriber base
of approximately 600 million, Flipkart is strategically positioned to capitalize on
the expanding internet landscape in India. The company continually introduces
new initiatives to maintain top-of-mind brand recall among online shoppers.
From traditional e-commerce to re-commerce, Flipkart remains committed to
enhancing customer experience, with a strong focus on customer centricity as a
core value.
Quick Commerce
The e-commerce landscape has witnessed a paradigm shift with the emergence
of quick commerce. This model, characterized by rapid delivery of goods within
minutes or hours, has revolutionized consumer expectations and preferences.
India’s quick commerce market experienced remarkable growth, increasing
tenfold from 2021 to 2023. This surge is attributed to the sector’s agility in
meeting the specific demands of urban consumers who prioritize convenience
for spontaneous, low-value purchases. Despite this rapid expansion, quick
commerce currently holds a modest 7% share of the overall market. The total
addressable market (TAM) for quick commerce is estimated at $45 billion,
surpassing that of food delivery. India, with its burgeoning urban population and
increasing smartphone penetration, has become a fertile ground for the quick
commerce revolution.
However, the Indian quick commerce market is still in its nascent stages,
presenting both significant opportunities and challenges for new entrants.
Flipkart, the market leader in the Indian e-commerce ecosystem, is strategically
positioned to capitalize on this burgeoning sector. With a proven track record of
success and a deep understanding of the Indian consumer, Flipkart aims to
replicate its dominance in traditional e-commerce to quick commerce. However,
as the fifth entrant into the market, the company faces stiff competition from
well-established players and nimble startups (like Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart,
BBnow etc.)
Problem Statement:
To secure a strong foothold and drive customer acquisition, Flipkart must
develop a robust Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy tailored to the unique needs and
expectations of Indian consumers. This case competition challenges
participants to step into the shoes of Flipkart's strategic team and craft a
customer-centric GTM strategy that will propel the company to the forefront of
the Indian quick commerce market.
By deeply understanding the evolving consumer mindset, identifying key
customer segments, and developing innovative solutions, participants will have
the opportunity to contribute to Flipkart's journey towards becoming a leader in
the fast-paced world of quick commerce.
Key Deliverables
Round 1: 3-Slider Submission
1. What is the global market size and growth rate of the e-commerce industry?
Identify a global quick commerce player that has demonstrated exponential
growth. Analyze their business model, key success factors, and challenges
faced.
2. What is the current size and growth rate of the Indian quick commerce
market? Conduct a comprehensive competitive analysis of key players in the
Indian quick commerce market.
Round 2: Semi-Finale
3. Identify key customer segments within the target metro cities for Flipkart's
quick commerce business.
4. What are the primary drivers of customer adoption for quick commerce
services in India? What are the factors that would influence customers to
switch from existing quick commerce players to Flipkart.
5. Develop a compelling Customer Value Proposition (CVP) for Flipkart's quick
commerce service to achieve a 30% market share target.
Round 3: Grand Finale
6. Present a detailed Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy for launching Flipkart's quick
commerce service in the selected metro cities.
7. Estimate the investment required to execute the GTM strategy in the 3 metro
cities.
8. Develop a phased expansion plan to target the next 15 cities, prioritizing
based on relevant criteria.
Some Guidelines
1. Throughout the competition, focus on data-driven insights, innovative
thinking, and a deep understanding of the target market and consumer
behavior.
2. Use visuals effectively to communicate complex information.
3. Practice clear and concise communication.
4. Be prepared to answer questions and defend your recommendations.
5. Emphasize the long-term vision for Flipkart's quick commerce business.
6. Note that your solutions for each stage should be built on the cumulative
work done in the previous stages and should add on to those ideas.
Problem Statement:
With an evolving consumer behavior towards commerce in India, it has become
more than relevant to establish a robust supply chain that is more reliable,
efficient and resilient. In order to serve customers with their order in a few
minutes, a constant and reliable supply, efficient distribution and a high level of
planning towards building and replenishing inventory is necessary. Considering a
wide range of assortment that includes products that can be stored and moved
in ambient conditions, refrigerated conditions, the supply chain planning and
execution must be perfect in various ends.
The hyperlocal wing of Flipkart wants to extend its operations in Tamil Nadu.
Considering the challenges in the Quick commerce business, we are looking to
set up a robust supply chain in order to fulfill maximum customer demand with
minimum resources. This includes establishing a network that helps the platform
maintain efficient operations, managing and planning inventory, ensuring efficient
replenishment strategy.
Supply Chain arm of Quick commerce:
The quick commerce business model typically comprises distribution centers
(Sourcing Hubs), and last-mile delivery stores, commonly referred to as dark
stores or micro-fulfillment centers. Strategically positioned near consumers,
these dark stores facilitate swift order fulfillment within 10-15 mins. Ensuring
customer order delivery in 10-15 mins needs not only an agile last mile delivery
system, but also a strong backend mid-mile supply chain to ensure we have the
right mix of inventory at the right time.
The supply chain of Quick commerce is divided into three parts.
1. First Mile: This refers to the initial stage of the delivery process, where goods
are delivered by the supplier to the sourcing hub / distribution center
2. Middle Mile: The mid mile focuses on transporting goods from the first-mile
(distribution centers) to the dark stores / minutes fulfillment centers. Includes
logistics & transportation between hubs, ensuring efficient movement of
products.
3. Last Mile: Last mile is the final leg, delivering the goods from the Dark store
to the customer. It’s critical for timely and accurate delivery involving delivery
riders.
Key Deliverables
Round 1: 3-Slider Submission
1. Suggest a mid-mile operations strategy for Tamil Nadu. This includes
designing the supply chain network and the process flow that serves the
majority of the demand with optimum resources.
Round 2: Semi-Finale
2. Given your space constraints, give us an inventory strategy at all the assets
by classifying inventory as per your choice. Please note that an optimum
inventory is essential to avoid both out of stock scenarios and wastages.
3. Based on the above classification, provide us an inventory replenishment
strategy to ensure less damage/wastage at all the nodes of the supply chain.
This is subjected to the space constraints and the shelf life norms of various
SKUs at all the assets.
Round 3: Grand Finale
4. Elaborate on the proposed strategy with implementation challenges, possible
roadblocks, and contingency plans, if any.
Some Guidelines:
1. Keep context of current supply chain challenges in India and compatibility of
Flipkart in mind while exploring solutions.
2. Implementation timeline should not exceed 3 - 4 months.
3. Feasibility of the solution to be used even with business scaling up in future
into further cities.
4. The products that are available in the platform include ambient products,
chilled and frozen products and perishables.
5. Ensure the platform provides a wide assortment of products and categories.
6. Note that your solutions for each stage should be built on the cumulative
work done in the previous stages and should add on to those ideas.
Problem Statement:
How can Flipkart leverage its massive user base, robust loyalty program
(Supercoins / VIP), and established e-commerce platform to achieve explosive
growth in its new q-commerce offering?
Key Deliverables
Round 1: 3-Slider Submission
1. Design a strategy for seamless integration between Flipkart's existing
e-commerce platform and the new q-commerce service by leveraging user
profiles, product selection, and loyalty programs (Supercoins / VIP) across
both platforms.
2. Identify other levers/capabilities existing in the Flipkart ecosystem that can
unblock exponential user acquisition, if integrated/leveraged.
Round 2: Semi-Finale
3. Develop a q-commerce-specific loyalty program that builds upon the
existing Supercoins / VIP program that incentivizes repeat purchases,
encourages users to switch to q-commerce for immediate needs, and foster
long-term brand loyalty.
4. Detail how Supercoins / VIP along with the new program can incentivize
q-commerce adoption and encourage repeat purchases.
5. Define the user journey design showcasing the seamless flow between
e-commerce and q-commerce platforms.
Round 3: Grand Finale
6. Outline metrics to measure the success of your proposed strategy.
7. Detail out how your strategy/user experience is both seamless and distinct
to ensure brand identity.
Some Guidelines
1. Understand user demographics and purchasing habits within the Indian
q-commerce landscape.
2. The strategy should be able to attract new customers and convert existing
Flipkart users to the q-commerce platform.
3. Encourage repeat purchases within the q-commerce service.
4. Leverage data analytics to personalize product recommendations and
promotions within the q-commerce platform.
5. Focus areas are seamless integration with existing ecosystems,
supercharged loyalty, and optimizing user experience.
6. Success factors aiming to be achieved are rapid user acquisition, increased
order frequency, and enhanced brand loyalty.
7. Have a vision of establishing Flipkart as the preferred q-commerce
destination in India.
8. Note that your solutions for each stage should be built on the cumulative
work done in the previous stages and should add on to those ideas.
Problem Statement
Flipkart is known for being the pioneer for the best-in-class practices for its
customers. And HR as a function aims at the same, developing the best culture
and organizational environment for its customers - the employees. For so long,
Flipkart has focused on developing people-centric policies and practices that
help flipsters thrive at all levels.
With Flipkart’s quick commerce coming into picture, it poses the same
challenge. While the industry already exists to adapt from - Flipkart is aiming to
build the best practices, and pioneer there with a strategy that not only gives it
competitive advantage, but also invites the best talent from the industry. And
there is a lot to explore. Though we already have our existing businesses and
organization to build on, the new business model required new solutions. With
its unique problems around speed, agility, and hyper-localized presence, it asks
for a completely built-from-scratch approach to hire and engage with its
workforce.
Hence, we ask you to think as entrepreneurs for Flipkart, and help us with this
very critical task of building a talent strategy and workforce model for its Quick
Commerce Business, that builds on Flipkart’s existing capabilities, and is yet
breakthrough in a way that meets all the unique requirements of the new
business. Also, with competitive landscape limited to only the metro cities, we
anyway require an entrepreneurial approach to crack this model in the Tier
2/Tier 3 cities of Bharat, where the sourcing of this workforce will be completely
different.
Key Deliverables
Round 1: 3-Slider Submission
1. Based on competitor benchmarking, and org design principles, share an
assumed org structure and roles at each node/dark store for Flipkart’s quick
commerce business unit.
2. Develop a talent sourcing strategy for the defined structure.
3. What are the levers that you will look at, for workforce modeling, especially at
Tier 2/Tier 3 cities.
Round 2: Semi-Finale
4. Simulate the talent sourcing and strategy execution for the first 50 dark
stores in North Zone (Starting with Delhi NCR, and expanding to other areas
in UP), basis the roles you have identified in Round 1.
For example, if you proposed a structure of 4 layers at each node, with 5 types
of roles. Then, how will you plan the hiring and allocation? Which layer/role will
you start with, and will you hire 100% of the proposed capacity at each layer,
before moving to the next, or pilot with lesser capacity? How will you optimize
in a way that the maximum number of stores can be functional at the earliest,
at the same time?
In your simulation, you can show what factors can be leveraged - distance
between 2 stores, shifts in which the workforce is present, inter-node
productivity differences, etc.
5. Explain how the discussed talent strategy and org structure will change and
adapt if the stores are to be scaled up from 50 to 500 across the North
region. How many new layers and roles will you introduce to make it
organized at a zonal and regional level structure? How will the sourcing
change for such positions?
6. Develop a retention framework using relevant levers of engagement/
rewards/policies/recognition/ or anything else for all the roles/levels
identified in round 1.
Round 3: Grand Finale
7. What is your people's cost estimate for building this workforce and
eventually expanding it.
Some Guidelines
1. Make necessary calculated assumptions w.r.t operational requirements -
orders/day, workforce productivity or likes, while proposing the structure,
clearly highlighting the same.
2. Consider at least 3 major competitors in the space for the benchmarking
3. Focus on a lever that can give Flipkart a strong competitive advantage - while
building both, the sourcing strategy, and the retention framework.
4. Keep in mind that most competitors are only present in Tier 1 - and hence the
sourcing strategy for other Tiers will be significantly different.
5. Try including any available modeling framework while developing the talent
strategy.
6. Attention to details w.r.t to implementation challenges/ foreseen gaps will be
appreciated.
7. Note that your solutions for each stage should be built on the cumulative
work done in the previous stages and should add on to those ideas.
Metrics for Evaluation
Round 1: 3-Slider Submission
1. Extent of Research - Methods, Sources, Coverage
2. Depth of Analysis
3. Quality of Insights
4. Customer Centricity involved in Approach
Round 2: Semi-Finale
1. Audacity in Ideas
2. Customer Centricity in Ideas
3. Originality & Innovation
4. Extent/Scale of possible Impact of Ideas
5. Presentation Skills
Round 3: Grand Finale
1. Audacity in Ideas
2. Customer Centricity in Ideas
3. Depth of Execution Planning
4. Viability & Implementation
5. Presentation Skills
All the Best!
Dare to Maximize!
