Titan Company partners with Flipkart to sell Sonata’s new range of watches

NEW DELHI: India’s largest watch retailer Titan Company Ltd., has tied up with online marketplace Flipkart to retail an exclusive range of Sonata watches on the platform, in a sign that retailers are increasingly stitching partnerships with e-commerce platforms as consumers buy more goods online.

As part of the deal, Titan will launch a range of its largest-selling Sonata watches under the 'Epic by Sonata' brand. The range will be priced upwards of Rs499.

The partnership will help the two companies tap into the next leg of consumption growth emerging from metros and middle cities.

"The partnership with Flipkart opens up opportunities in a dynamic and multi-category environment, with a captive trend-seeking, digital native audience. We are excited to partner with Flipkart, with its proven e-commerce prowess and track record of delivering unparalleled value to consumers," said Suparna Mitra, CEO, watches and wearables division, Titan Co Ltd.,

Through this partnership, Sonata will connect with Flipkart’s registered customer base of over 350 million, with a diverse and well-penetrated geographic spread across India. With middle India poised to overtake metros in driving consumption, the association with Flipkart intends to drive category ownership across markets, the two said in a statement.

Titan’s watches and wearables business recorded an income of Rs292 crore in the June quarter. Loss narrowed to Rs56 crore in Ql FY22 from Rs164 crore in Ql FY21. The company sells watches under the Titan, Fastrack, Sonata, and Nebula brands.

Watch sales have been sluggish over the last few years as newer brands and formats enter the market.

Meanwhile, Flipkart has been deepening its engagement with retailers.

For instance, sportswear retailer Puma and Flipkart’s fashion portal Myntra plan to sell goods worth Rs500 in 2021. It earlier invested in Arvind Fashions Ltd’s, recently created subsidiary Arvind Youth Brands that owns denim brand Flying Machine with plans to reach shoppers in India’s smaller cities.

Flipkart works closely with a growing number of national, international, and regionally renowned fashion brands and sellers, in different ways, it said.

This includes identifying opportunities for them to connect them with consumers across India through the online marketplace, scaling their presence and diversify existing product portfolios, it said.

Flipkart will continue to address relevant consumer needs through more such collaborations and enable our partners to explore untapped potential, especially in emerging regions, said Nishit Garg, Vice President, Flipkart Fashion.