e-commerce
Rural India outpaces cities in cash usage and consumption: CMS report
INDIA: According to the fourth edition of the CMS Consumption Report released today, the nation’s consumption engine is warming up, powered by a resilient reliance on cash and a structural shift towards formal, value-oriented purchases.
While macro headwinds and GST reforms have shaken the table, households are rebalancing priorities rather than tightening belts. Travel remains the undisputed king of the wallet, gobbling up Rs 37 of every Rs 100 spent. However, a new cautiousness has crept in: insurance has leapfrogged to the second-highest priority at Rs 25, as risk awareness takes root in the national psyche.
The real story, however, lies in the hinterlands. Semi-urban and rural India (SURU) are now outpacing metros in cash usage, with average monthly ATM withdrawals hitting Rs 1.30 crore compared to the Rs 1.18 crore seen in the big smoke. This isn’t just a festive fluke; it is a structural shift. Rural consumption expenditure has grown at 9.2 per cent annually since 2012, faster than the 8.5 per cent seen in urban centres.
Despite the digital surge, the physical shopfront is fighting back. Organised retail chains saw a 22 per cent jump in cash pickups, as 56 per cent of urban shoppers still prefer the tactile thrill of the store. Even as inflation hit a historic low of 0.25 per cent in October 2025, the Indian consumer remains deliberate, trading transient splurges for utility and protection.
e-commerce
Flipkart cuts around 300 jobs in annual performance review
E-commerce giant trims ~1.5 per cent of workforce as IPO preparations continue.
MUMBAI: Flipkart just gave performance the pink slip because when the annual review bell rings, even the biggest cart sometimes needs to lighten its load. Flipkart has let go of approximately 300 employees as part of its annual performance management cycle, Moneycontrol reported on 7 March 2026, citing people familiar with the matter. The exits represent roughly 1.5 per cent of the company’s total workforce of around 20,000 people across its businesses.
The move follows Flipkart’s standard practice of asking employees placed in lower performance bands to leave during yearly reviews, a process the company has carried out periodically in recent years. A similar exercise in early 2024 saw around 1,000 employees (nearly 5 per cent of the workforce) exit.
The latest round comes amid Flipkart’s continued push for operational efficiency and cost discipline, mirroring broader trends across the Indian startup ecosystem where funding slowdowns have shifted focus toward profitability.
The development also arrives as Flipkart advances preparations for a potential domestic IPO. The company has held early discussions with investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan and Kotak Mahindra Capital to explore feasibility. Industry sources indicate a possible listing timeline of late 2026 or early 2027, though the final size and schedule remain undecided.
In December 2025, Flipkart received National Company Law Tribunal approval to shift its holding company domicile from Singapore back to India. a key regulatory step that simplifies the group structure ahead of a public market debut.
Controlled by Walmart, Flipkart remains one of India’s largest e-commerce platforms, locked in fierce competition with Amazon. In a market where every rupee counts and every headcount is scrutinised, the latest cuts aren’t just housekeeping, they’re part of a bigger balancing act between growth ambitions and the road to listing.
