JioMart Debuts On Apple App Store, Google Play Store Downloads Cross 1 Mn

JioMart, Reliance Retail’s beta online consumer grocery platform, has debuted its JioMart app on Google Play Store and Apple’s iOS App Store. The company said the app downloads had crossed 1 million on Google Play Store. According to App Annie, it is ranked second on the Apple App store and third on Google Play Store in the shopping category.

With the launch of the app, JioMart has now enabled increased omni-platform interface bringing seamless and enhanced accessibility to consumers. Customers, who find the ease of access through the app-based interface, can now get the convenience of placing orders through the JioMart app interface available for both Android and iOS devices.

Experts said the move will help JioMart take on rivals such as Flipkart and Amazon which are also rapidly bringing kiranas and local shops onto their platforms. Jio Platforms, the digital arm of Reliance Industries (RIL) and which includes JioMart, has raised $20 billion in three months from investors such as Facebook, Google, Silver Lake and KKR. Only 7 per cent of the $1.2-trillion retail market is online, and these players are aggressively eyeing the remaining 93 per cent.

The beta platform jiomart.com was launched simultaneously in nearly 200 cities and towns across the country towards the end of March. The company said the extensive availability of the JioMart platform across the country has democratised digital shopping for essentials by bringing the online ordering service to several Tier II and Tier III towns. Here customers are experiencing online shopping and home delivery of grocery, fruits and vegetables and essential goods for the first time.

During the recent annual general meeting, RIL chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said that JioMart was taking over 250,000 daily orders from across the country and the number was rising very fast with every single day.

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“JioMart is now focused on scaling its geographical reach and delivery capabilities. JioMart is obsessed with providing convenience and superior shopping experience to consumers,” said Ambani, while elaborating on the ambitious expansion plan of JioMart. “In addition to grocery, we will expand JioMart to cover electronics, fashion, pharmaceuticals and healthcare in the days ahead. In the coming years, we will cover many more cities, serve many more customers across India, and expand to many more categories.”

JioMart has continuously been adding new products, features, brands and varieties every day. The bouquet of products now includes a wide range of categories such as personal care, home and kitchen, puja needs, baby care and branded foods. With its smart store price, JioMart said it offers attractive prices on essentials with a minimum 5 per cent discount on all products.

Post the announcement of JioMart at the AGM, analysts are upbeat about the JioMart initiative in their reports, with Goldman Sachs stating “We believe RIL's partnership with Facebook could result in the company becoming a market leader in the online grocery space, with more than 50 per cent share by 2024.”