Flipkart shows more Amar Chitra Katha love; Amazon adds gift cards!

Well, the fact that Indian e-commerce sector is growing at a break neck speed is undeniable! Big FMCG guys want a share of the pie, and even the government has jumped in with their own marketplace. As competition gets harder, from local and international players, the Indian ecommerce giants are finding more out of the box ways to scale.

Snapdeal recently added Hotel and Catering supplies in the mix. As always, it is Flipkart’s turn to add something new, and Amazon to follow with something newer!

Flipkart recently ventured into the (possibly boring) e-learning space and then the Sexual wellness category, but the new line of products they have added to their kitty is sure to put a big smile on your face. (Especially if you are a 80s kid!) Flipkart has signed an Exclusive deal with Amar Chitra Katha to sell the ultimate collection of 315 singles and 10 special comics with over 13,000 pages by various authors.priced at Rs. 18,049 online as a part of their Independence day sale.

“Amar Chitra Katha has been teaching children about Indian mythology and cultural heritage for over 47 years and owns an ultimate collection our customers will look forward to,” Flipkart director for retail Nipun Mehra said in a statement.

“We are confident that the Flipkart platform will help us reach all our readers across the country and get more onboard as the most loved story teller,” Amar Chitra Katha chief executive Manas Mohan added.

On the other end, Amazon has added a very interesting new category – The Gift Card Store that will feature over 80 offline brands including Pantaloons, Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Lakme Salon, Nike, Domino’s Pizza and Cafe Coffee Day.

“We want Amazon. in to be the single destination for all the gifting needs of customers,” said Srinivas Rao, general manager of payments at Amazon India.

They also intend to target corporates who will be looking at giving their employees diwali/christmas gifts for bulk purchases of the cards or integrations with internal rewards and recognition. Amazon has partnered with Bangalore-based gift card technology startup QwikCilver Solutions for the same.

It will be interesting to see what the next new category in ecommerce will be! Any guesses?