Walmart-backed Flipkart on Friday announced that the e-commerce giant has entered into a strategic partnership with Nepal’s Sastodeal to initiate cross-border trade opportunities for its lakhs of sellers.

A statement released by the company said that under the partnership, Sastodeal will host over 5,000 products from Flipkart marketplace sellers operating across the categories of babycare and kids, audio devices, men’s clothing, women’s ethnic wear, and sports and fitness, among others, in turn opening access to Nepalese customers.

Flipkart Private Brands, MarQ and SmartBuy, will also be listed on the Sastodeal platform with a focus on categories such as electronics, home appliances/home decor and furnishings.

The move comes at a time when MSMEs are looking for newer avenues to expand their business, Flipkart said that this partnership will give such businesses further confidence and potential platforms.

“The partnership with Sastodeal, a homegrown brand like ours, will not just open doors for a wider market reach to our sellers but also allow them to boost their business significantly,” Flipkart Head of Marketplace Jagjeet Harode said.

“E-commerce business in Nepal has huge potential as more and more consumers take to online shopping. The trust a brand like Flipkart has amongst consumers along with the love of a local company like Sastodeal enjoys; makes the value proposition for consumers even more exciting,” Harode added.

The company claims to have 2,00,000 sellers across India, with more than 50 per cent of them coming from smaller cities such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Meerut, Surat, Kanpur, Agra, Coimbatore, and Ahmedabad, among others.

Amun Thapa, CEO at Sastodeal, said “the opportunity brought by Flipkart for Nepalese consumers is going to build a strong growth story for e-commerce in our country.”

With Flipkart’s private brands also being made available on Sastodeal’s platform, seller partners will have another opportunity to manufacture locally and expand reach beyond India, as per the statement.

Flipkart will enable sellers to make these private brands readily-available to Nepalese consumers, with the fulfilment promise by Sastodeal, it added.