E-commerce giant Amazon, entered India exactly a year ago to the day, in a bid to cash in on the burgeoning online commerce industry. In last 12 months, the company, which kicked off with just two products, has been able to capture a sizeable market share, and force big domestic players — Flipkart and Snapdeal — to consolidate.
With 28 categories and over 15 million products sold through 5,000 sellers, the company enters its second year, optimistic that the Indian Government may allow foreign online retailers to sell their own products over the Internet as early as next month.
Talking about the company’s growth and performance, Amit Agarwal, VP and Country Manager, Amazon India, said that they would continue to invent and invest on behalf of customers and sellers. Edited excerpts:
We are extremely thrilled with our success in India so far. We have witnessed phenomenal selection growth across several categories.
Alongside, we have been focused on delivering a great customer experience.
We launched the Amazon mobile shopping app for Android and iOS phones within a couple of months of our India launch and today, we get more than 35 per cent of traffic through the mobile.
Which are your fastest growing categories?
Categories with the strongest growth are books, consumer electronics, baby products and watches.
What has Amazon done to create a healthy growth environment for SMEs?
Considering that there are a vast number of entrepreneurial SMEs who have never sold online — but have great product selection and are motivated to grow — we work hard to help them succeed online.
We launched a focused programme called ‘SMB Accelerator’ last year with the sole purpose of helping SMEs get online and build their operational capabilities to grow their business and succeed online. I am deeply impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit and willingness of SMEs in India to learn and capitalise on new business opportunities.
What is that the Indian consumers look for and how have you been able to fulfil those demands?
Our experience of working around the world has shown one thing, that customers around the world are similar. Customers around the world always want a vast selection at low prices and a reliable and trustworthy online shopping experience. Indian customers are no different. And we are focused on ensuring we are able to deliver and raise the bar for online shopping in India.
For example, we launched a special input feature of pin-code for accurate delivery estimation.
Nowhere else does this exist in Amazon. We are currently piloting Pick Up stores for customers convenience – both Kirana stores and with BPCL. We are currently piloting scheduled delivery for customers in Mumbai with the TV category. Shortly, we will be extending it to Thane and Pune.