Flipkart, the online retailer controlled by US-based Walmart Inc., has acquired virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) platform Scapic in a bid to enhance its shopping experience capabilities.
Scapic Innovations Pvt. Ltd is a cloud-based platform which enables creation and publishing of AR and 3D content, and caters to clients across e-commerce and marketing segments.
Scapic founders VK Sai Krishna and Ajay PV said in a statement the company’s no-code platform helps create “immersive experiences” across categories such as fashion, furniture and electronics.
The two companies didn’t disclose financial details of the deal.
The startup, launched in 2017, provides a cloud-based platform for users to build AR and VR scenes using a drag-and-drop interface, which the company claims is as easy as putting together a PowerPoint presentation.
In 2018, the firm raised its seed round of funding from Speciale Invest, Axilor Ventures and Newfort Capital.
Scapic was previously part of Y Combinator's accelerator. It was also among the winners of the Karnataka Elevate 100 programme, and was listed as one of the top 20 startups at the Wharton India Economic Forum.
Flipkart boasts of over 250 million registered customers on its platform that offers over 150 million products across more than 80 categories.
The bet on Scapic is Flipkart’s latest play in the online – and offline – fashion segment, with the group seeking to fend off other deep-pocketed rivals including Amazon and AJIO, the digital fashion arm of Reliance Retail.
Earlier this month, it backed Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. Ltd, which markets brands endorsed by celebrities.
Prior to that, it acquired mobile gaming startup Mech Mocha Game Studios Pvt. Ltd.
In late October, Flipkart said it would invest Rs 1,500 crore in Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd to pick up a 7.8% stake. In August, Flipkart unit Myntra said it would buy out actor Deepika Padukone from the All About You brand, which the two had run as equal partners.
