Walmart Planning To Help 100K Small Businesses in India Get Online

(small.news) — Walmart is now looking to boost small businesses in India by using an existing development program to help them modernize, according to The Sourcing Journal.

Walmart Vriddhi, which launched in 2019, has already trained 70,000 businesses across India. They have done so through digital training, personalized mentors, and strategic partnerships. This has helped expand market access within India and across the globe, with Walmart Marketplace offering cross-border trade opportunities.

This new initiative is in collaboration with Ideas to Impact Foundation, with partners aiming to see 100,000 small businesses trained in the next three years on finance, marketing, workforce management, and sustainable operations. Small business owners who have gone through the program reportedly experience an average of 55% year-on-year growth.

Jason Fremstad, the senior vice president of supplier development for Walmart, said, “We are constantly inspired by India’s vibrant innovation ecosystem and the growth potential… Empowering these entrepreneurs with critical business skills and market access has helped them build and scale their business sustainably, and contribute to India’s economic growth story.”

Small Businesses in India To Sell Through Walmart and Flipkart

Walmart Supplier Academy’s e-learning module is supposed to allow small businesses to sell successfully through Walmart and Flipkart. Rajneesh Kumar, the senior vice president and chief corporate affairs officer of Flipkart, said, “Our unwavering commitment at Flipkart is to empower [small businesses] by democratizing access to digital commerce and vast growth opportunities.”

Walmart is also planning to engage with strategic partners to drive growth. The program has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with help from the Indian state of Haryana government. Walmart Vriddhi has additional plans to sign more MoUs across other states.

These programs already exist in Mexico and the United States, called Crece con Walmart and Grow with US, respectively.

Small businesses will be able to access resources through Walmart Vriddhi’s website. Onboarding links for the sales platforms (Walmart Marketplace, Flipkart, and Myntra) are also on that site, as well as information about domestic payment options.