Walmart’s Flipkart system is set to offer free video streaming assistance to attract new users from small cities and towns in India and get on rival Amazon’s Prime Video assistance.
Flipkart is eyeing the next 200 million users who are coming online. The company understands that most users are added to the internet through online videos. Hence, video content and production could represent a vital role in making customers grow and buy online.
“We understand that excellent content, if made accessible to a wider base of customers, particularly the ones who are unique to e-commerce but not internet, can bring them on board on an daily basis and help take on any concern that they may have towards online purchasing,” Flipkart group chief executive Kalyan Krishnamurthy announced in a statement on Monday at the launch of Flipkart Videos, a curated series of movies, shows and pleasure series.
The video content present is centred on three primary aspects: it’s free, curated and personalized.
Experts say the content business is still growing, considering the number of clients paying partly or wholly for subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar.
“It’s, however, a small amount. The pricing is too high for a client base that is accustomed to free or low content,” said Devangshu Dutta, chief executive of retail consultancy Third Eyesight. “Also, there is a lot of fluidity in times of the programs used. In India, content and pricing will be important.” He added that both Netflix and Amazon Prime are “Indianizing” their content in a significant way. Pricing dynamics are being pulled out as well.
According to Krishnamurthy, the centre is on attracting clients, especially those in the age group of 20-30 and those who spend a lot of user-generated and professionally produced content.
“We want to guarantee that a user keeps coming to the platform each day. Over time, we will understand out how this tie into the e-commerce ecosystem, but now that’s not the goal. It’s just to ensure that the user is hooked to Flipkart,” Krishnamurthy added.
Also, Flipkart is beginning its service in Hindi with a Hindi-language “audio-visual guided exploration” to allow easy onboarding for new users.
It is also redesigning its app, which will enable users to enter their preferred communication way.