Flipkart seeks to tap next 200 million users using voice tech amid pandemic

Introduction of 'voice assistant' on grocery is helping Flipkart bring conversational commerce and aims to fast-track adoption of e-commerce by Bharat consumers

For the past few weeks now, Naresh Bajgai, a cook in Bengaluru, has been discovering and buying groceries easily using voice commands in Hindi on e-commerce platform Flipkart. “It’s easier to speak and order just like you talk to a shopkeeper,” said Bajgai. “Also, typing and searching are more difficult than speaking.”

All this was made possible by the recently-launched ‘voice assistant’ a conversational artificial intelligence platform, which has been built by Flipkart’s in-house technology team. The Walmart-owned firm has also ensured the voice of the ‘virtual assistant’ has the Indian accent to connect better with the consumers including Bajgai