Flipkart launches 20 'experience zones' for customers for self pick-up

Flipkart , India's largest e-commerce site, announced the launch of 20 'experience zones' across the country to facilitate buying and self pick-ups for consumers.

Now customers can walk into their nearest 'experience zone' and collect their shipments at their convenient time.

Unavailability of customers during delivery and restricted entry of delivery persons into office complexes, gated communities and educational institutions are some of the key reasons that lead to customer dissatisfaction with the delivery process, Flipkart said in a statement.

Commenting on the initiative, Neeraj Aggarwal, Senior Director  Delivery Operations, Flipkart , said "Getting logistics right is extremely crucial for e-commerce companies. Our efforts are focused on expanding our delivery network, without compromising on the customer service levels and expectation. We believe this model is a resolution to customer unavailability issues, as it offers consumers a choice to adjust the delivery time & location according to their convenience. It also provides a solution to restrictions for e-commerce entry into tech parks/ gated communities/ universities."

These Experience Zones are currently present across Bangalore, Mysore, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Vellore, Gurgaon, Vadodora, and Surat.

Flipkar t plans to increase the number of experience zones to 100 by March 2016.  

Experience zones will also form a key element of Flipkart's rural expansion strategy as the company  plans to expand their reach into Tier 4 towns and rural areas by making the entire town serviceable from a pick-up centre, a reliable alternative to door delivery in small towns.

Flipkart said, these experience zones will soon add value added services like spot trials, reverse pick-ups, instant returns, cash on returns, and exclusive product demos.