Flipkart’s Shopsy Ropes In Former Unilever Executive Prathyusha Agarwal As CEO

Flipkart’s social commerce vertical Shopsy has roped in former Unilever executive Prathyusha Agarwal as its new chief executive officer, a year after Adarsh Menon resigned from the role to start his own venture.

With over two decades of experience, an IIT-IIM alumni Agarwal started with Unilever in 2001 as an area sales manager and later stepped down from the company as regional brand manager in 2006. Following that, she also worked in various roles across media and marketing sectors, including Star India, HDFC, Tata Cliq, Zee, BYJU’S and Zydus Group.

Launched in 2021, Shopsy allows users to share catalogues with potential customers via social platforms and earn a commission on each sale depending on the product category and ticket size. Its model of social commerce has rapidly gained popularity, particularly among small entrepreneurs and home-based sellers.

Shopsy was earlier headed by Flipkart’s senior vice president (SVP) growth & monetisation, Prakash Sikaria until July 2022. In the same month, Menon, senior vice president (SVP), and head of new businesses at Flipkart, took over the leadership. Menon had stepped down from the company to start his new venture.

Shopsy strengthened Flipkart’s supply chain infrastructure and tech capabilities, matching the selection and range available on Flipkart Grocery. 

According to the company, it delivered Flipkart’s groceries in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna and Pune.

Shopsy competes against the likes of Meesho. Although both empower users to resell products through their networks, however, they have differences in product focus, business models, and user experience.

Prathyusha’s appointment comes at a time when Flipkart is undertaking a restructuring exercise amid exodus of several long-term executives. Recently, the company appointed Swiggy’s top executive Anuj Rathi as chief executive of its travel platform Cleartrip.

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