Amazon bullish on Uttar Pradesh market, to invest in expanding network

Akshay Sahi noted that UP was a 'critical locale' for Amazon, which has set up 2 large 'Fulfilment Centres' (FCs) in the state

Against the backdrop of the Indian e-commerce space getting more competitive with US retail chain Walmart buying a majority stake in domestic online marketplace Flipkart, the global e-commerce giant, Amazon on Thursdy said it was bullish on the Uttar Pradesh market both on the customer and vendor sides.

Amazon India director and head (prime) Akshay Sahi said the company would continue to invest in expanding its ‘fulfillment’ and delivery network to support the rapid growth in the state.

He noted that UP was a ‘critical locale’ for Amazon, which has set up 2 large ‘Fulfilment Centres’ (FCs) in the state, including a specialised captive unit for handling large appliance and furniture products.

“Amazon has a strong delivery network in the state with 5 Amazon owned delivery stations, 40 service partner nodes and 400 plus ‘I Have Space’ store partners. This large network enables customers in the region with fast and reliable delivery experience,” he said, adding the company would expand the network to keep pace with growing business.

Besides, Amazon has on board 20,000 sellers in UP, of which 2,500 are based in Lucknow alone. “Many of these seller hawk products under our Prime programme,” he said. Launched in India in 2016, Amazon Prime is a subscription-based programme that provides shopping and entertainment benefits to members.

In UP, Prime has enrolments in all the major towns of Lucknow, Agra, Gorakhpur, Moradabad and Varanasi with popular product categories including pantry, beauty, grocery, smartphones and apparel, he said.

Meanwhile, Amazon is keen on helping the UP-based ethnic and traditional industries to expand their national and international reach through its online platform.

In February, the Yogi Adityanath government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amazon to promote khadi apparel manufactured in the state under the brand of ‘UP Khadi’. The tie-up was aimed at promoting khadi clothes and also re-skill artisans in modern designs and technologies for a global clientele.

Sahi said the company was already offering an open platform to sellers to showcase their ware globally and profit from extended reach and penetration.

Under its ‘One District One Product’ scheme, the state government is looking at promoting and reviving its traditional industries across the districts.

Besides, the state is planning to host an ODOP Summit in Lucknow on the lines of UP Investors Summit 2018. The state has launched a dedicated ODOP website www.odop.in to promote the concept. ODOP has the objective of nurturing traditional industries, creating job opportunities and arresting migration of youth to bigger urban centres.

UP is famous for product specific traditional industrial hubs across 75 districts viz. Varanasi (Banarasi silk sari), Bhadohi (carpet), Lucknow (chikan), Kanpur (leather goods), Agra (leather footwear), Aligarh (lock), Moradabad (brassware), Meerut (sports goods), Saharanpur (wooden products) etc. The website also showcases such authentic merchandises.