Flipkart on Friday said that its kirana partners across the country registered an increase of nearly 30 per cent in average monthly delivery incomes in 2020.

According to insights by Flipkart, the average monthly delivery incomes for kirana partners in the south grew the most, followed by east, west and north.

Among the top cities, kirana partners from Hyderabad saw the highest growth followed by those from Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune.

The kirana delivery programme continues to benefit scores of kirana partners, helping sustain them financially during the lockdown period, Flipkart said in a statement.

“Kiranas are an essential part of the retail ecosystem in India and we, as a homegrown organisation, have been engaging with them in various ways to re-position and re-invent them as convenience stores from an e-commerce perspective. Doorstep deliveries to customers have been one of the most successful kirana programmes, and it gives me immense pleasure to witness the growth and prosperity it is creating for our kirana partners,” Flipkart’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Rajneesh Kumar, said.

As part of Flipkart’s kirana programme, mom-and-pop stores, including general stores, tailor shops, and more, partner with Flipkart to deliver millions of shipments at customers’ doorstep and create new revenue channels for themselves.

Launched in 2019, the programme aligns with Flipkart’s aim of expanding its reach among consumers, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, while providing kiranas with an additional source of revenue. This additional source of income has helped kirana partners provide for their families, save up for children’s education, repay loans and meet other personal needs, Flipkart said.

In addition to this, Flipkart also serves close to a million kiranas across nine states in the country through Flipkart Wholesale’s Best Price cash-and-carry business.

Under this business, kiranas have access to a wide range of quality merchandise at competitive prices, door-step delivery of products and convenient payment solutions.

Through the year, Best Price has worked closely with its supplier partners on transportation and logistics and has ramped up e-commerce and delivery capabilities, ensuring members can order and receive products conveniently amidst the pandemic, the e-commerce marketplace said.