Flipkart introduces smart assistive interface to help 1st-time users
The feature, available in Hindi and English for now, will be offered in other regional language interfaces in the next few monthsThe feature includes key actions in the form of pop-up texts followed by audio, to help users to understand and follow the instructions
PremiumBengaluru: Walmart-owned e-commerce firm Flipkart has introduced a ‘Smart Assistive Interface’ feature called ‘Flipkart Saathi’ to support first-time e-commerce users on the platform, and enhance their shopping experience.
The feature, available in Hindi and English for now, will be offered in other regional language interfaces in the next few months. With this, Flipkart aims to empower consumers across tier-II, tier-III cities and in rural India, the company said in a statement.
The assistive interface feature--audio-guided navigation--aims to mimic a typical real-life shopping experience for consumers who may be comfortable being assisted by a salesperson. The feature uses a combination of text and audio-based instructions to guide new users.
The feature includes key actions in the form of pop-up texts followed by audio, to help users to understand and follow the instructions.
According to the statement, Flipkart undertook extensive research for nearly a year, spoke to consumers who were yet to transact on e-commerce platforms, and occasional users in tier-II cities to understand how assistive interface resonates with users. The study revealed that new users are able to skim through some products on their own, but required assistance on filtering options and choosing brands or variants. Flipkart then tested initial concepts and recorded how users reacted to onboarding, flow and the value they derived from assistive interfaces, the statement said.
"Flipkart is committed to bringing the next 200 million consumers online and solving for that in every possible manner. Our talented technology team has worked hard to make Hindi interface and Smart Assistive Interface available to consumers, at a time when an increasing number of consumers from smaller cities are getting access to data," said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, group chief executive officer at Flipkart, in the statement.
"This personalisation of technology is a key element of our vision for Bharat and all our innovations are centred around this. As 80-90% of our resources are devoted towards building the ecosystem for Bharat, we are confident of such initiatives bringing about a massive change in our efforts to democratize e-commerce in India," he added.
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