Bigbasket opens up supply chain SaaS platform to external customers

TATA-backed online grocery retailer Bigbaskethas launched BB Matrix, its SaaS-based supply chain platform, for external customers. The SaaS platform, which was developed over a period of five years to serve Bigbasket’s in-house verticals, will now offer solutions ranging from Warehouse Management System (WMS), Transport Management System (TMS), and Order Management System (OMS), to mid-size and large enterprises on an annual subscription basis.

Founded in 2011, Bigbasket was acquired by the Tata Group in May 2021 as part of its omni-channel consumer business. 

BB Matrix, led by Co-founder and CEO of Bigbasket, Hari Menon, and Chief Product and Technology Officer at Bigbasket, Rakshit Daga, claims to reduce transportation costs by nearly 50%, lowering the lead time by around 60% and ensures 100% supply chain visibility. 

“There are eight to nine business lines within Bigbasket ranging from B2C (Business to Consumer), quick commerce, subscription platform BB Daily, B2B (Business to Business) and others where the picking and delivery are different for each use case. Over the last five years we have built a common platform to power all these supply chains based on our learnings,” Daga told YourStory.

He added that the platform has been live in a production environment with one of its customers for over a year, while other pilots have been going on for the last three to four months. “We have built the platform in a way so that it applies to grocery as well other sectors. Currently we have customers in the electronic industry and the automotive industry,” said Daga, adding that BB Matrix had an advantage as it was better suited to modern supply chains. 

The SaaS offering will target MSMEs as well as large businesses with a GMV of over $500 million or customers, with more than eight to ten warehouses to manage. Daga added that it was for the suitability of BB Matrix in a more scaled up environment. 

Globally, the supply chain software solutions market is dominated by the likes of Logility, Anaplan, Kinaxis and larger legacy players like Oracle and SAP. In India, direct-to-customer and quick commerce companies rely on providers including Unicommerce, Vinculum, Increff, and others. 

“There is an active interest in the warehousing and transportation business and our ambitions go beyond India. Lot of manufacturers want to tap into these capabilities and quick commerce is a key driving force for them, which we have an advantage with,” Daga added. He further clarified that while 90% of the platform was configurable for a specific industry, BB Matrix has also deployed a professional services team and sales and marketing team for customer acquisition. 

BB Matrix will look at geographical expansion to Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa markets and expects revenue from the business to contribute meaningfully to Bigbasket’s bottomline by the next year.