From reaching new markets to incorporating customer feedback to improve quality and decrease wastage - onboarding with Flipkart has helped entrepreneur Jignesh Jivani do all of this and more. Today, what started out as a modest business in Surat has transformed into a large-scale operation. His journey highlights how Digital India’s entrepreneurs leverage e-commerce for efficiency, reach and growth, while also contributing to the Make in India story. Read more.
Surat, often called the Silk City, has long been a hub of textile innovation, supplying fabrics and apparel across India and the world. Home to a vibrant business community, it has nurtured generations of entrepreneurs who have shaped the country’s retail landscape.
Over the last decade, via e-commerce, the city’s entrepreneurs have embraced digital platforms to scale their businesses, reaching customers nationwide and driving the growth of India’s textile industry.
This digital shift has transformed the apparel ecosystem, with Flipkart playing a key role in enabling entrepreneurs like Jignesh Jivani.
Surat’s Textile Industry Meets Flipkart
Jignesh’s journey began by observing his father’s small embroidery business. As machines whirred to create intricate designs on sarees, Jignesh, a young boy with big ambitions, dreamt of a day when he too would run his own business. “I used to go there every day and learn,” he says, reflecting on the early days.
By the time he turned 18, he was certain that entrepreneurship was his calling. “When I completed my 12th standard, I decided that I didn’t want to do just any job. I wanted to develop my own business.”
Jignesh saw immense potential in starting a western wear business, given Surat’s natural price advantage when it came to fabrics and stitching. “Most western wear was coming from cities like Delhi and Bengaluru. By producing it in Surat, where textiles are abundant, I was able to ensure a cost advantage.” he notes.
He started his business in 2015, when he was just 20 years old. “A few years in, I told my father that it was time to take our business to the next level,” he explains. “This was around the same time that e-commerce was really picking up steam. So in 2017, I onboarded with Flipkart.”
Jignesh leveraged Flipkart’s ecosystem and its efficient supply chain networks to reach customers directly, standardize product offerings and scale production. “Flipkart provided the right structure to expand beyond Surat’s wholesale market,” he explains. “It gave us access to a nationwide customer base.”
A small business, built to scale
Jignesh links his growth to both understanding the consumer and getting exposure. “With
Flipkart’s insights, we optimized production planning and reduced wastage. This allowed us
to operate with greater efficiency while maintaining quality.”
“The level of data-driven planning that Flipkart offers enables us to analyze trends, refine inventory and scale at the right pace,” he adds. Jignesh expanded operations to a 50,000 sq. ft. facility employing 300 workers, shifting from his father’s embroidery business to scalable fabric printing and stitching in the western wear category. Flipkart’s demand forecasting and logistical capabilities ensured seamless order fulfilment too.
Learning from customer feedback
When Jignesh first introduced his products, he struggled with high return rates, but through Flipkart’s data-driven insights, he refined product designs and enhanced quality to align with customer expectations. “We reduced return rates substantially by improving fit and material selection,” he shares. “This also helped us improve brand credibility.”
Looking ahead, Jignesh plans to diversify his offerings by expanding into ethnic wear. “We’ve
established a strong presence in western fashion, but now we aim to increase Flipkart sales
across multiple categories,” he states.
An enabler of growth
“Flipkart isn’t just a marketplace – it’s an enabler of structured growth for Indian sellers,”
Jignesh says. “With the right tools, we’re able to scale efficiently while maintaining quality.”
Jignesh Jivani’s journey to becoming a successful online seller on Flipkart highlights the power of digital commerce in boosting traditional industries. As the industry evolves, Surat’s business community members have not only modernized their operations but also contributed to the broader evolution of India’s textile sector, blending the city’s rich heritage in fabric production with the efficiency of technology-driven commerce.
“Surat didn’t just give me an opportunity — it gave me everything,” Jignesh reflects. “If it wasn’t for Surat, we wouldn’t have known the textile industry so well.” While Surat’s markets shaped his foundation, digital platforms like Flipkart took his business to the next level. “Flipkart has been 100% part of my journey. Whatever we are thinking – that we will expand by so much – we get the right response from Flipkart every time.”
