Customers of the quick commerce platform Blinkit are able to split payments for orders over Rs 2,999 with the introduction of EMI (Equated Monthly Installments) as an option. All orders, with the exception of those that contain gold and silver coins, will have this option.
Part of Blinkit's plan to grow its clientele and encourage bigger purchases on its site is the new EMI option. This option can facilitate larger orders, since more and more customers rely on rapid commerce for household goods, groceries, and other commodities.
According to specialists monitoring this market, allowing customers to stretch payments over time may also result in higher-value transactions.
In order to offer EMI alternatives through credit cards, it currently has partnerships with a number of institutions, including HDFC, SBI, ICICI, Kotak Mahindra, Axis, RBL, and CITI Bank.
Adding EMI as a payment option fits with Blinkit's strategy of growing its clientele and fostering customer loyalty. Blinkit hopes to raise its average order value—a crucial indicator of its growth strategy—by enabling these kinds of transactions.
Blinkit introduced the Seller Hub earlier this week, allowing brands to directly control their online presence without the need for middlemen. The platform provides tools for organizations to effectively manage their rapid commerce operations, and more than 200 brands have already gained access.
Recently, HSBC valued Blinkit at about $20.8 billion, more than twice the worth of its parent company, Zomato, which the banking institution valued at $9.2 billion. Blinkit has become a leader in the rapid commerce area.
Another strategy to make ends meet in the competitive e-commerce industry is to provide an EMI option through third-party lenders. Additionally, the ease of the EMI may discourage some bargain hunters from sticking with Blinkit. Thus, the margins have also improved. One may argue that the addition of a larger range of things, such as gold and mobile phones, made an EMI option a logical next step. What might go wrong, then? Not much, as one might expect, other from the usual upfront expenditures of procedures for the new function, with a significant upside if it succeeds. In any event, it won't remain a special offering for very long.
