Flipkart Labs, the innovation hub of Flipkart, has been making waves in the world of Indian e-commerce. It’s not only exploring cutting-edge technologies like Web3, the Metaverse, and NFTs but also launching game-changing features for consumers. From Augmented Reality features such as Skin Analyzer and Beauty Try-On and more, Flipkart Labs is revolutionizing how India shops online. In this Q&A, Ravi Krishnan, Head of Flipkart Labs & Category Experiences, shares how we are bringing innovations from Flipkart Labs to over 500 million customers across India.
In April, 2022, Flipkart introduced Flipkart Labs, an internal innovation hub aimed at assessing, developing, and gaining insights from projects that redefine the landscape of online commerce. Currently, Flipkart Labs is engaged in exploring technologies like Web3, the Metaverse, NFTs, and others, with the goal of crafting technology-driven solutions tailored for the Indian market and for over 500 million Flipkart customers. By dedicating itself to this in-house innovation initiative, which seeks to expedite the evolution of global commerce rooted in India, Flipkart is actively playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of customer-centered online shopping within the country.
This year, Flipkart Labs has gone a step further and introduced tech features with the potential to revolutionize shopping for Indian consumers.
With features like the Skin Analyzer, Beauty Try-On, AI Room Designer and more, Flipkart Labs has pulled out all the stops in their quest to innovate and adapt the latest tech developments in the industry for India. Firedrops, our NFT marketplace, has been revamped to revolutionize engagement and loyalty, by allowing customers not just to earn rewards from their favourite brands, but also trade these rewards as NFTs on Flipkart. Our 3D Virtual Worlds allow any brand to create their own immersive and captivating shopping experience for customers. A key tenet of bringing these innovations to Indian consumers was ensuring their accessibility. These features can be experienced on regular smartphones, allowing consumers from tier-2 & 3 cities and towns to be better informed and shop for their desired products with precision.
In this Q&A, Ravi Krishnan, Head of Flipkart Labs & Category Experiences, shares insights and reveals how Flipkart is investing in the future of e-commerce in India with Flipkart Labs.
Can you elaborate on some key experiences or innovations that Flipkart Labs has developed to enhance shopping experience?
Over the years, Flipkart Labs has introduced several innovative experiences to enhance the shopping process. This year, we have taken important strides forward experimenting with and making breakthroughs in immersive tech. Our customers can now get closer than ever before to experiencing a product before making a purchase.
We introduced the Skin Analyzer feature which is an intelligent virtual tool that provides personalized skin analysis and product recommendations. It assesses various parameters like skin type, hydration levels, wrinkles, and more to recommend a highly personalized skincare routine.
We also introduced the Apparel Try-On feature that our customers can use to visualize the look & fit of clothes by virtually trying them on avatars customized based on their body type & other details. The feature also recommends the right sizes based on the inputs received from customers. Additionally, users can mix & match multiple outfits to suit their needs, leading to enhanced purchase confidence for the category.
Leveraging Generative Artificial Intelligence, we developed the AI Room Designer, a unique feature with untold potential to change how our customers shop for household goods. The feature erases existing objects in a customer’s space and superimposes desired products. This allows them to visualize how new items will look in their rooms, providing an industry-first experience.
We also have features like Beauty Try-On and 3D/AR Experiences that aid our customers in decision-making.
With innovations like these, our endgame is to bridge the gap between online and offline shopping as much as possible. We are able to empower our customers with all the necessary information to make that final decision to make a purchase. Stepping into the shoes of our customers, we can also assume that there will be a niggling doubt about product accuracy and desired effects, but these features go a long way to expel that doubt.
Can you tell us more about Flipkart Labs’ innovation with Web3?
At Flipkart Labs, we are exploring Web3-based engagement initiatives to provide a more immersive and engaging shopping experience to our customers.
With innovations like Virtual World, Flipkart offers immersive 3D virtual worlds that bring customers closer to their favorite brands. These virtual environments provide hyper-realistic interactions and engaging storytelling. Our users can explore products in 3D, access marketing content, and make purchases seamlessly, redefining brand engagement.
We are also collaborating with Firedrops for a brand-first engagement program. FireDrops is a Web3 Brand Engagement and loyalty platform that leverages NFTs and innovative engagement strategies, creating dedicated brand communities on Flipkart. They also offer NFT-based rewards like mystery boxes and discount coupons and allow users to buy and sell their earned rewards.
How do Flipkart Labs’ Web3-based engagement initiatives stand out from traditional e-commerce engagement and loyalty programs?
Our engagement initiatives stand out by offering novel and engaging experiences that bridge the gap between online and offline engagement. For example, our Virtual Worlds initiative is one of the first platforms globally that combines the best of next-gen engagement with commerce and allows brands to create Metaverse experiences on an e-commerce app.
The FireDrops 2.0 launch makes us one of the first e-commerce platforms to enable NFT ownership & trading for millions of Indians furthering our vision to become the largest Web3 platform in India. With FireDrops, we are revolutionizing engagement and loyalty with NFT-based rewards and brand communities.
These initiatives offer a unique blend of technology and brand interaction, and more important, accessibility to our customers especially in tier-2 & 3 cities and towns, helping create new avenues for them to engage with e-commerce and join the rest of us in Digital India. This is what makes us distinctive in the e-commerce space.
In our 10th edition of the Big Billion Days sale, our customers can look forward to Web3-based rewards from multiple brands.
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