Warc, 25 April 2014
BANGALORE: In a flurry of activity, e-commerce giant Amazon
is attracting both sellers and buyers onto its Indian platform as it seeks to
take the top online retailer spot in the country.
This week it has begun a pilot project in Bangalore which
brings kiranas – neighbourhood convenience stores – on board as collection
points for online buyers. The Economic Times described the move as "an
indigenous improvisation on Amazon Lockers".
The head of Amazon India, Amit Agarawal said that the
company had identified and trained staff at small kiosks and stores to act as
shipment pick-up points. "Depending on the results, we will take a call on
how and what we want to roll out nationally at an appropriate time," he
said.
"We are continually innovating to find solutions that
enhance convenience and experience for our customers," he added.
The move addresses the problem of failed deliveries, one
faced by online retailers everywhere, not just India. Amazon has also
introduced a scheduled delivery programme for high-value items and is expanding
the range of products available for same-day delivery.
As well as offering greater convenience for buyers, Amazon
is attempting to make life simpler for sellers by cutting bureaucracy and
making it possible for them to market their products on the same day they
register on the Amazon portal. On rival platforms this process can take two
weeks.
Merchants can also avail themselves of Amazon's 'easy-ship'
delivery service, asking it to pick up and ship the products they sell.
These steps are expected to attract more small retailers,
with "a few thousand sellers" reported to have already registered for
the new services.
Amazon has backed these developments with an advertising
campaign that has included TV spots during the current India Premier League
cricket tournament. "Amazon is moving from first gear to fourth,"
said Arvind Singhal, chairman of retail advisory Technopak. "They have the
basics in place."
Data sourced from Economic Times; additional content by Warc
staff
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