Flipkart announces Marketplace, restricts Wallet purchases to Flyte

Great changes are afoot at Flipkart today. While the e-commerce portal is introducing a new marketplace system of selling goods, Flipkart has also announced that it is now limiting its Wallet purchases to its Flyte service only.

Flipkart announced today that it had embraced a marketplace system, turning the portal into a “virtual mall” and giving consumers access to multiple sellers and brands on one platform. Flipkart Marketplace has been introduced with the aim of creating an ecosystem of retailers, brands and manufacturers, putting them in touch with consumers.

You can check your options out with multiple sellers

Flipkart will still play the middle-man between retailers and consumers, though, so you need not worry about how your online purchases will reach you. Sellers can list products and check out competition and prices right on Flipkart’s website now. Going forward, says Flipkart, consumers will be able able to compare sellers and eventually settle for the best price.

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Users will still be able to make use of the cash-on-delivery and easy monthly installments options that Flipkart has always provided. The portal has assured users that it will be taking sellers on-board only after rigorous onboarding process. The site will even initiate a protection programme to address complaints. Flipkart has said that over time it will feature sellers that provide the best service more prominently across the website.

Making this deal a win-win for all three parties involved, Flipkart is trying to lure in retailers to list on the website by offering them its logistics and allowing them to feature prominently to Flipkart’s existing user base.

While being spoilt for choice is the good news, Flipkart regulars were dismayed to note that the site is now restricting the Flipkart Wallet feature to only Flyte related purchases. Using this feature Flipkart customers have been able to keep a prepaid, virtual wallet available to them while making purchases. You can choose to top-up the wallet with whatever amount you require and go about making purchases without bothering about failed transactions or overspending.

No more prepaid wallets for all purchases

In an email to Flipkart Wallet users, the website announced that henceforth all purchases being made via the service will only be restricted to purchases of e-items like MP3s and e-books from its Flyte store. Flyte is a year old service that originally started out selling MP3s and later expanded to e-books on Flipkart. The store has been designed on the lines of Apple’s App Store and is India’s leading seller when it comes to digital items.

While Flipkart hasn’t quite revealed the reason why it is halting the usage of Wallet services to the entire store, it could be possible that it is linked to the launch of Flipkart Marketplace. Speculations are that since Flipkart Wallet cannot be used to make purchases off the new retailers are signing up, the portal will only allow you to purchase using the service from its own Flyte store.

Of course, if you still have some money left in your Wallet since before the announcement, you can purchase from any category till it is exhausted, according to the Wallet page.