Bengaluru, Dec 4 (IANS): Flipkart's independent value-driven platform, 2GUD on Friday launched 2GUD Local to connect popular offline retailers scattered across the country with online shoppers.

The new format aims to enable local stores - single brand or multi-brand stores and other shopping destinations - and retailers to expand their digital footprint to connect more effectively with their consumers.

2GUD Local will showcase the best of these stores through long-format videos coupled with engaging narratives, Flipkart said.

The platform will further assist these stores in creating their digital footprint including cataloguing support, consumer fulfilment, advertising and marketing.

It will provide them with an additional channel for sales and access to new geographies for consumer acquisition, Flipkart said, adding that 2GUD Local is kicking-off its efforts to digitise offline brands with KLM Fashion Mall in Bengaluru.

"We have launched 2GUD Local to help local brands leverage traffic on our already-popular marketplace and take their offerings to a pan-India market," Chanakya Gupta, Head of 2GUD, Flipkart, said in a statement.

"We look forward to partnering with more local partner brands and serving consumers across the country in times when social distancing is of utmost importance."

Flipkart said that 2GUD currently covers more than 600 product segments and offers both new and refurbished products.

The platform has more than a million consumers across more than 15,000 PIN codes in India.

2GUD Local is currently available on the app and m-site.