E-commerce firm Flipkart has acquired Appiterate, a mobile engagement and marketing automation firm, as part of its strategy to migrate to app-only mode.
The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Delhi-based Appiterate assists online retailers to target users and increase sales through push notifications and in-app messages.
"Their innovative platform and tech team will bring deep mobile capabilities to the table which is a key focus area for Flipkart," Nishant Verman, Senior Director, Corporate Development, Flipkart, told The Economic Times.
Appiterate's Co-founder and CEO Tanuj Mendiratta said that his firm's strength in mobile app will contribute to Flipkart's growth.
"Flipkart has a strong focus on its mobile app for driving growth and that's where our expertise lies. What we liked about Flipkart was the scale of their reach and their brand image among the Indian consumers. As the next phase of our journey, we are excited to join the Flipkart team and contribute to their mobile growth story", he told The Hindu.
After the acquisition, Flipkart is expected to integrate its mobile app with Appiterate's mobile marketing automation platform.
Recently, Flipkart announced its plans to gradually shift advertisements from desktop website to its mobile platform, after seeing a 10-fold increase in mobile traffic in less than 18 months.
The country's largest e-tailer is expected to make more acquisitions to improve its mobile capabilities, as it plans to become app-only company. In March, it acquired mobile ad network company AdIQuity.
Flipkart sees nearly 75 percent of its traffic coming from mobile app, while Myntra generates 90 percent from mobile platform.
By shifting to app-only format, these companies expect costs to come down and limit dependence on technology firms such as Google Inc. and Facebook Inc.
