Inside Flipkart Wholesale's push to digitize and democratize India's B2B retail

Launched in 2020 on the legacy of Walmart India's cash-and-carry business, Flipkart Wholesale has since built a formidable omnichannel platform serving 1.2 million kiranas and MSMEs across 2,900 pin codes.

- Sanjay Kumar

Under the leadership of Dinkar Ayilavarapu, the venture has married credit and loyalty programs with data-driven technology, helping small retailers compete, grow, and thrive. This is the story of how Flipkart Wholesale is turning India's fragmented retail ecosystem into a more connected, empowered, and future-ready marketplace.

When Flipkart Wholesale was launched in September 2020, it was born out of both necessity and opportunity. Necessity because India's fragmented kirana economy was clamouring for better supply chains, structured credit, and transparency in pricing. Opportunity because Walmart India's cash-and-carry legacy needed a digital-first renewal to stay relevant in an economy where kiranas, hotels, and small businesses were fast digitizing their transactions. Five years on, under the stewardship of Dinkar Ayilavarapu, Vice President and Head, Flipkart Wholesale, the venture has emerged as one of the strongest experiments in India's business-to-business (B2B) retail ecosystem.

"Our vision was always clear," Ayilavarapu recalls. "We wanted to enable India's traditional retail and kirana ecosystem to succeed through technology, digital innovation, and data - driven insights."