Reliance Jio today announced a multi-billion-dollar deal with social media giant Facebook in a 9.99 percent stake which is about $5.7 billion, or Rs 43,574 crores. One of the key announcements following the deal was the partnership of JioMart with Facebook-owned messaging app, WhatsApp.
JioMart, announced earlier this year in January, is the online grocery delivery platform established under Jio Platforms. The platform aims to bring local vendors, independent hawkers as well as Kirana stores online. The deal with Facebook is going to help the platform grow faster thanks to WhatsApp, which is the world’s most popular messaging platform. In conversation with News18, Reliance Jio said that consumers will soon be able to browse availability from local stores on WhatsApp and eventually order from the messaging app itself. This will open up a simpler and effective way to shop online. As of now, there is no launch date for the feature but it could take anything from a few weeks to months. The company will be sharing further information about the collaborative feature soon.
The partnership with WhatsApp could prove highly beneficial for the new e-commerce brand especially if it wants to take on the giants including Amazon and Flipkart. Eventually, once WhatsApp Pay is out of beta, the messaging app will also compete with payments app Paytm and presumably consumers will also have the option to pay directly for items bought on JioMart from the messaging app as well.
As of now, a majority of such businesses have been dependant on offline orders or customers visiting their physical stores. JioMart will allow local vendors and Kirana stores to register on the platform and receive orders through WhatsApp efficiently. Jumping onto this platform should also help these small retailers and store owners to expand their business even further. This should also help JioMart witness considerable growth as it would bring the convenience of offering to users their favourite, local grocery stores.
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