Flipkart, an Indian e-commerce marketplace, today ordered the formation of Flipkart Labs with the goal of building and developing technology-based solutions that would reinvent e-commerce and improve the customer shopping experience. The Lab’s primary objective will be to integrate developing technology into ecommerce systems. Flipkart Labs will be based under the Flipkart Group’s Product Strategy & Deployment (PSD) division and will collaborate with professionals to develop technical solutions in this field.
Flipkart and its group companies will be able to test interesting new Web3 and Metaverse use-cases with real-world applications, such as NFT-related use-cases, Virtual Immersive Storefronts, Play to Earn, and other Blockchain-related use-cases, through the Innovation Lab. In the future, the Innovation Lab will also act as a vehicle for new research in areas such as reimagining customer experience, logistics / supply chain, and accelerating digital commerce.
Furthermore, the company claims that Flipkart Camera, which was formed in November 2020 following the acquisition of AR/VR startup Scapic, has since deployed multiple 3D and Augmented Reality-based immersive shopping experiences and will continue to mature under the newly formed Flipkart Labs umbrella.
Regarding the introduction of Flipkart Lab, Naren Ravula, VP and Head, Product Strategy and Deployment, Flipkart Labs, said,
We are in the early days of a paradigm shift from Web2.0 to Web3.0 and this evolution of the web/internet built on the concepts of decentralization, openness, and greater user utility, will have a profound impact across many areas including e-commerce. Web 3.0 is poised to play a strong role in India`s digital acceleration. We are committed to the growth of the e-commerce ecosystem in India and Web 3.0 leverages the best of latest technology like blockchain for real world use cases that can digitally transform businesses like ours. Some of the use-cases like immersive commerce, NFT-related use-cases and more are very promising and, as one of the first areas of focus in Flipkart Labs, we want to collaborate with the passionate Web3 community, innovate and set the standard for commerce in the Metaverse.