Flipkart on expansion spree, launches category for sexual wellness after e-learning

After launching the e-learning category, poster boy of Indian ecommerce space Flipkart has now launched the sexual wellness category (link). At present the company offers five categories including condoms, lubricants, massage oils, gel and mood setter spanning brands like Durex, Moods, Skore, Kamasutra and Manforce.

The Bangalore-based company had recently forayed into e-learning space with over two thousand products. It is also said to be in talks of raising US $1 billion from existing and new investors.

Close to 20 lakh Google searches are made every month on adult products. Over the past one and half years, the Indian online retail market has seen flurry of startups including That’s Personal, Shycart, Kaamastra, IMbesharam which have tapped the market opportunity in this niche category. Flipkart’s competitor Snapdeal had already forayed into adult product category earlier this year.

The sexual wellness industry is flourishing in India with the adult sexual products market expected to grow to Rs. 2,450 crores in 2016 and Rs. 8,700 crores in 2020. Also, the surveys have revealed that the majority of orders are received on online portals by women shoppers and from Tier I and II cities.

With this move, Flipkart seems not to leave any chance of attracting a whole new set of consumers and building new categories. Earlier in June this year, the company had launched a seven inch tablet, Digiflip Pro, priced at Rs. 9999 under its own label. It also exclusively partnered with Xiaomi to sell its range of phones on the platform earlier this month.

With its debut in this category Flipkart will compete with Snapdeal, etail stores like Shycart, That’s Personal and Durex. Introduction of this category will also strengthen Flipkart’s position as a one-stop etail store.

Considering the fact that majority of Indians have a conventional mindset while buying personal things related to sex, this move from Flipkart seems to be smart and well timed.