Flipkart and Microsoft forge cloud partnership to expand e-commerce in India

BANGALORE, India — Feb. 20, 2017 — Microsoft Corp. and Flipkart, India’s leading marketplace, on Monday announced a strategic partnership to provide consumers in India with the best online shopping service. As a first step in the broad collaboration between the two companies, Flipkart will adopt Microsoft Azure as its exclusive public cloud platform. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Flipkart Group CEO and co-founder Binny Bansal announced the news at an event in Bangalore.

“At Microsoft, we aim to empower every Indian and every Indian organization with technology, and key to this is forging strategic partnerships with innovative companies like Flipkart,” Nadella said. “Combining Microsoft’s cloud platform and AI capabilities with Flipkart’s existing services and data assets will enable Flipkart to accelerate its digital transformation in e-commerce and deliver new customer experiences.”

“Flipkart has always been committed to its vision of transforming commerce in India through technology,” Bansal said. “Given Microsoft’s strong reputation in cloud computing, coupled with scale and reliability, this partnership allows us to leverage our combined strength and knowledge of technology, e-commerce and markets to make online shopping more relevant and enriching for customers.”

Launched in 2007, Flipkart has amassed unparalleled scale in India through customer-centric innovations that have made online shopping a seamless, accessible and affordable experience for over 100 million Indians. Its innovative disruptions like Cash on Delivery, No Cost EMI, Product Exchange, easy returns, same-day delivery and instant refunds have paved the way for the e-commerce market in India.

Starting with computing infrastructure, Microsoft Azure will ultimately add a layer of advanced cloud technologies and analytics to Flipkart’s existing datacenters. Microsoft’s strong presence in India, along with its global scale, allows for continued growth and expansion, setting the stage for the long-term partnership.

Flipkart plans to use the artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics capabilities in Azure, such as Cortana Intelligence Suite and Power BI, to optimize its data for innovative merchandising, advertising, marketing and customer service. With powerful insights about its business and new, intelligent services, Flipkart can deliver increasingly relevant and personalized experiences to its customers.

About Flipkart

Flipkart is India’s largest e-commerce marketplace with a registered customer base of over 100 million. Flipkart offers more than 80 million products across 80+ categories including Smart Phones, Books, Media, Consumer Electronics, Furniture, Fashion and Lifestyle.

Launched in October 2007, Flipkart is known for its path-breaking services like Cash on Delivery, experience zones and a 10-day replacement policy. Flipkart was the pioneer in offering services like In-a-Day Guarantee (50 cities) and Same-Day-Guarantee (13 cities) at scale. With over 100,000 registered sellers, Flipkart has redefined the way brands and MSME’s do business online.

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

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