Caravan of Joy: Creating access and opportunity in Jaisalmer

Into the desert, through forts, highways, lanes and bylanes, and streets with no names - within and beyond the golden city of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, a small Flipkart hub works to fulfill the dreams of thousands of Indians in the furthest reaches of the country, and delivers orders even to BSF camps along our borders. Here, e-commerce - via Flipkart's vast supply chain network and #BuiltForIndia technology - is opening up access not just to products that were out of reach, but also life-changing opportunities that were hard to come by.

Jaisalmer

From deserts to mountains, along seas and rivers, Flipkart delivers joy, access and convenience to the farthest reaches of India. Our vast supply chain network enables deliveries to 100% of India’s serviceable PIN codes. It’s a challenging task, but at Flipkart, we do it with pride for India.


Watch: Caravan of Joy – Flipkart delivers in Jaisalmer


In the western state of Rajasthan, where the magnificent Thar – one of the world’s largest deserts – lies, the commitment of ensuring access, value and convenience comes with more challenges than just the terrain. And Jaisalmer, one of the state’s largest cities, is located almost entirely within the desert.

As the city’s population and limits expand, localities today dot the habitable parts of the Thar. “The market is very far from our village,” says Aruna Kumari, a resident of Jaisalmer and now a proud Flipkart customer.

As the city grows, it becomes even more imperative for its residents to have everything they need at their fingertips. A small Flipkart hub in the city is working to make that a reality and ensure that no dream is too far for the many residents, even in the furthest reaches.

“We link small villages to the rest of India, and we go one step further to fulfill their needs,” explains Shital Sharma, an executive at the Jaisalmer hub. “Our team of 15 to 18 people delivers between 700 to 800 orders every day.”

The barren terrain is difficult to navigate, and the arid region is one of the hottest places in India – with the border outpost in Jaisalmer registering a scorching 52.4°C in the recent past. And when the sun sets, temperature extremes bring the mercury down to just 10°C or even lower during winters. “We work hard in this difficult terrain so as not to disappoint our customers,” says Sunil Kumar, a wishmaster at the Flipkart hub in Jaisalmer.

Answering the call of the desert

“People in these parts never had access to so many products in the past. Flipkart has opened a whole new world to them,” explains Kamal Kishore, another wishmaster who works at the city’s small yet important hub.

This heartening development in Jaisalmer is also the result of built-for-India technology that makes the digital shopping experience as simple and seamless as possible. By removing language and affordability barriers, customers in this beautiful yet stark landscape can rely on variety and quality being delivered right to their doorstep.

These deliveries aren’t always easy. “Sometimes you get an incomplete address, sometimes just a name and colony. Many times the delivery is outside city limits. But we do our very best to deliver the order,” says Kamal.

Sometimes these deliveries are routed to a very special place – the Border Security Force (BSF) areas of Jaisalmer – catering to the brave men and women who stand guard at the border.

Empowering communities with opportunity

Flipkart’s vast supply chain, however, does more than empower residents of Jaisalmer to leverage the benefits of e-commerce.

“Flipkart has connected these far-flung villages to the mainstream and along with that also given opportunities for livelihood,” says Sunil, with his own story as a testament. “I lost my father to COVID-19. Suddenly, the responsibility of the entire family came on to me and my twin brother. I then happened to get a job at Flipkart and our financial situation got much better. “

Sunil isn’t the only one. “My father was a daily wage laborer who fell on hard times and was out of work. Today because of this job I was able to help my younger brother set up a shop and restart the education of my youngest brother,” says Kamal.

In Jaisalmer and surrounding areas, e-commerce via Flipkart’s vast supply chain network is opening up access not just to products that were out of reach, but also life-changing opportunities that were hard to come by.

As Sunil puts it: “We are not just delivering products but hopes, dreams and happiness to the families of our customers.”


Also Read: For this Flipkart Wishmaster, a river is no barrier to customer delight

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