Bengaluru-based B2B marketplace Jumbotail has entered into a strategic partnership with Japan’s NEC Corporation to accelerate the digital transformation of India’s 19 million kirana stores. As part of the collaboration, NEC will also make a strategic investment in the company.
The alliance aims to combine NEC’s global expertise in retail technology and artificial intelligence with Jumbotail’s B2B ecommerce marketplace and new retail platform to strengthen India’s mass-market kirana ecosystem, which caters to a significant portion of middle-class households.
Jumbotail enables kirana owners to source a wide assortment of grocery and general merchandise products through its B2B ecommerce platform, integrated fulfilment network and embedded fintech solutions. The company also operates the J24 network of entrepreneur-led modern convenience stores powered by its GoldenEye retail operating system.
Under the partnership, NEC’s AI and data analytics capabilities will be customized for Jumbotail’s kirana partners to enhance assortment planning, inventory management, in-stock availability and working capital efficiency. The companies will also co-develop go-to-market retail solutions to strengthen brand engagement, targeted promotions and consumer insights at the store level.
The collaboration will further bolster Jumbotail’s J24 modern convenience store network by integrating NEC’s in-store digital solutions, enabling more digitized operations and improved consumer experiences.
The companies said the partnership seeks to bring enterprise-grade retail technologies—typically accessible to large modern trade players—to small neighbourhood retailers and regional brands, with the goal of improving efficiency, customer retention and profitability across India’s vast kirana ecosystem.