Flipkart Opens Mobile Phone Sale Amid Coronavirus Lockdown: Delivery Starts From April 20

Amid the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown scenario in India, it seems that the businesses are slowly coming back on track. After the March 25 nationwide lockdown, the e-commerce platforms of the country were limited to sell essential goods only. However, now the Indian government has approved the sale of smartphones category across the nation.

Meanwhile, Flipkart has opened its mobiles category for sale. The company confirmed that the mobile sale would be open across India, except West Bengal and Karnataka regions. It is quite surprising to see that the company is not providing the services in Karnataka where the headquarters are located.

The company has also listed a new banner on its app, confirming the news that they are accepting smartphone orders. Do note that the delivery begins from April 20 as per the government guidelines. Besides, the company is also offering no-cost EMI, complete mobile protection, and buyback guarantee on a wide range of smartphones from Oppo, Vivo, Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has issued revised guidelines for the e-commerce platform after the extension of the lockdown period. According to the new guidelines Flipkart, Amazon India, and Snapdeal are allowed to start selling products from the following categories:

• Televisions
• Laptops
• Stationery Items,
• Mobile Phones
• Refrigerators

Do note that the delivery vans of all the e-commerce companies need to take permission from authorities before operating on the roads. Also, e-commerce websites are mandated to take necessary measures and provide gloves, masks, and sanitizers to all the delivery agents. According to the Flipkart landing page, the delivery starts from April 20, 2020.

It seems this step helps tech companies to earn some profits in the second quarter. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, many brands are facing losses and already missed the first quarter targets. Let's see when the situation will get back on track and companies starts working normally.