The much-talked Nothing, a consumer electronics startup, has partnered with Indian eCommerce major Flipkart for the launch of its first product.
Founded by Carl Pei, the co-founder of OnePlus, Nothing is making waves since it was launched in January this year. Ear (1), a pair of wireless earphone is the first product from Nothing will be launched in India as well as globally soon.
The partnership between Nothing and Flipkart has more of a strategic value than just being a sales platform. The Indian e-commerce major will play a key role in establishing Nothing as one of the leading electronic brands in India.
Nothing + Flipkart: Big Picture
- Ear 1 is the first product from Nothing. The company has planned the Indian and global launch of the product simultaneously.
- Flipkart has signed an exclusive partnership with Nothing for the sales of Ear 1 in India.
- The India launch date of Ear 1 is not confirmed yet.
- The global launch of Ear 1, however, is delayed and it’s now expected to come out a bit later this summer.
- Flipkart will play a key role in establishing Nothing in India.
- Besides acting as a sales partner, Flipkart will offer after-sales service in 205 service points across 171 cities for Nothing in India. This would be executed by Flipkart’s group company Jeeves, which was partly acquired by Flipkart in 2014.
- Nothing is founded with a vision to build a suite of next-generation smart, connected consumer electronics products.
- So far, Nothing has raised $2 million from various investors including Alphabet’s Google Ventures, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, Cred founder Kunal Shah and famous YouTuber Casey Neistat.
- Carl Pei offered an investment opportunity in Nothing to the general public by launching a $1.5 million community founding round earlier this year.
- In February, Noting acquired Essential – a smartphone company floated by Andy Rubin, an ex-Googler and Android founder.
- Carl Pei shook hands with Teenage Engineering as s founding partner of Nothing. Teenage Engineering is known for its design form-factor for a wide range of audio products.
Flipkart Nothing Partnership: Food For Thought
Flipkart has emerged as the leading online retailer in India, leaving Amazon trailing behind. With 31.9% market share, Flipkart has a wide reach and presence across the country. By forming a partnership with Flipkart, Nothing could easily reach as many prospective buyers as it can in India. The success of Xiaomi in India which started with having a partnership with Flipkart in the same style is a testimony to the fact that Flipkart can meet the expectations of Nothing.
It would be interesting to see if Nothing could meet users’ expectations in a market that is driven and known for its price sensitivity.