Bengaluru, Oct 22 (IANS): Flipkart Wholesale, the digital B2B marketplace of the Flipkart Group, on Thursday said the app saw a five-fold growth in total orders during The Big Billion Days (TBBD) sale from October 16-21.

Over a lakh retailers, most of them small kirana stores, from more than 3,000 pin codes, shopped at Best Price cash-and-carry stores and its e-commerce channels, and on the Flipkart Wholesale app during the period, the company said.

Members of Flipkart's B2B businesses reaped up to 60 per cent savings on a variety of merchandise in categories such as packaged food, home care, personal care, electronics and appliances, apparel, footwear and general merchandise, Flipkart said.

"This is the first time Flipkart's B2B businesses hosted The Big Billion Days, extending the value and potential of this annual event to kiranas and MSMEs," Adarsh Menon, Senior Vice President and Head - Flipkart Wholesale & Walmart India, said in a statement.

"Reiterating our deep-rooted commitment to bringing prosperity to kiranas and MSMEs and nurturing the retail ecosystem, we brought some of the best offers of the year for our members for this sale."

For Best Price, the share of e-commerce transactions more than doubled during this event, with cities such as Guntur, Amaravati and Rajahmundry dominating digital uptake.

Olive oil, ghee and hot beverages were the highest selling categories on Best Price's website and app.

The Flipkart Wholesale app, which currently serves 16 cities, saw a five-fold surge in total orders and almost half of this demand came from smaller towns like Mysuru, Meerut, Agra, Chandigarh and Ghaziabad.

Sugar was the highest selling item across Best Price stores and e-commerce channels.

Sports shoes and T-shirts were top-selling categories on Flipkart Wholesale during the sale.

There was also an uptick in demand for trendy fashion products such as slogan T-shirts, flared and ripped denims, and bright coloured footwear, the company said.