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Faster, Smarter, Leaner: How Flipkart Optimized Its Supply Chain to Unlock Growth

Author

Listed:
  • Shubham Agarwal

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Prateek Agrawal

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Anurag Allamsetty

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Adarsh Attavar

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Deekshith B

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Gowtham Bellala

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Shobhit Bhatnagar

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Hardik Choudhari

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Vikas Goel

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Praveen Gupta

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Ananth Kachroo

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Jay Kothadiya

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Nagesh KM

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Sai Anjani Kumar Kudupudi

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Mayank Kumar

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Naidu KVM

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Tanu Modi

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Ramkumar Moorthy

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Rakesh S. Nair

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Goutham Sai Panyam

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Avijit Shukla

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

  • Piyush Vyas

    (Flipkart Internet Private Limited, Bangalore 560103, India)

Abstract

The Flipkart Group, one of India’s foremost digital commerce entities, serves more than 500 million registered users and offers a vast selection of more than 150 million products, connecting customers with 1.4 million sellers. To keep pace with rapid growth and the evolving ecosystem of e-commerce in India, Flipkart embarked on a transformational overhaul of its supply chain planning technology in 2021. This transformation led to the development of an advanced, fully integrated supply chain planning platform, built on machine learning and operations research techniques. The platform comprises two core layers: forecasting and optimization. The forecasting layer leverages a suite of statistical and machine learning techniques to produce multilevel demand forecasts. The optimization layer converts forecasts into actionable decisions across three key domains: inventory management, capacity planning, and network flow planning. These decisions collectively maximize delivery speed and reliability, minimizing operational costs. Flipkart has scaled this platform to automate and optimize end-to-end supply chain operations. Its impact has been profound: leading to a 10% increase in manpower utilization, a 50% reduction in unhealthy inventory, and a 50% increase in one-day deliveries.

Suggested Citation

  • Shubham Agarwal & Prateek Agrawal & Anurag Allamsetty & Adarsh Attavar & Deekshith B & Gowtham Bellala & Shobhit Bhatnagar & Hardik Choudhari & Vikas Goel & Praveen Gupta & Ananth Kachroo & Jay Kothad, 2026. "Faster, Smarter, Leaner: How Flipkart Optimized Its Supply Chain to Unlock Growth," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 56(1), pages 42-57, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:56:y:2026:i:1:p:42-57
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.2025.0282
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    3. Shanika L. Wickramasuriya & George Athanasopoulos & Rob J. Hyndman, 2019. "Optimal Forecast Reconciliation for Hierarchical and Grouped Time Series Through Trace Minimization," Journal of the American Statistical Association, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 114(526), pages 804-819, April.
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