We'll definitely win in India: Amazon country manager Samir Kumar

Amazon India Country Manager Samir Kumar on the company's $35 billion bet, the quick-commerce race, and why he believes it's still early innings for e-commerce in India

Samir Kumar returned to India in October 2024 to lead Amazon India as Country Manager — his second stint with the company in the country after helping launch Amazon.in in 2013. In an interview with Peerzada Abrar in Bengaluru, he says it is still “early innings” for e-commerce and quick commerce in India, where the space is witnessing heated competition. Kumar uses a cricket analogy to showcase his outlook: matches are won on the field, not in the commentary box. Edited excerpts:

 

You were part of the original team that launched Amazon.in in 2013, and now you're leading it. What does completing 13 years in India mean to you, and what does it tell us about Amazon's long-term commitment to this market?

 

It's like starting from day one. June 5, 2013 was when we started, and we have come a long way. We have become India's favourite store. The $35 billion we are going to invest over the next five years — I'm not sure how many companies around the world are investing that much in India. It will go to our e-commerce, operations, AI, and sellers. That's a commitment to India.

 

We have just announced 100 cities and 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres with Amazon Now this year itself. We have announced ₹2,800 crore of investment in our operations. We are investing in jobs -- we have already created over 2 million jobs -- and we're going to get to 3-plus million in the coming years.

 

Our sellers have already done $20 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports from India. We aim to raise that to $80 billion by 2030. We remain very bullish on India.

 

A significant portion of that $35 billion is reportedly earmarked for AI data centres rather than e-commerce. Is India primarily an AI infrastructure play for Amazon, or does the retail and commerce business remain the engine?

 

We are continuing to invest in all parts of our business -- Prime Video, Amazon Pay, our Prime offering, selection, and our Amazon Now speed offering.

 

A lot of our fulfilment infrastructure is being set up in smaller cities like Patna and Kochi. Our latest Now stores are in Amritsar, Kochi, and Vizag. There is definitely investment in AI and infrastructure and data centres, but that also aids the overall India story.

 

Amazon Now is expanding to 100 cities with 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres. But Blinkit already operates over 2,200 dark stores and Flipkart Minutes has crossed 800. What gives you confidence you can close the gap, and how is your approach different?

 

At Amazon it's always day one. For e-commerce and quick commerce, it is still very early innings.

 

Our play is going to be speed across all the selection. You want to go to a party and you forgot a gift -- you're going to get that on Amazon because we'll get it to you in 10 minutes. But if you're hosting a party and you want the complete assortment of balloons, gifts, return gifts, and utensils for 50 kids, you can get that on Amazon and we'll deliver it to you the next day.

 

The assortment of selection, along with speed, will be our big differentiation. Safety is a priority for our associates in fulfilment centres and for on-road delivery.

 

The quality of our produce will also be a differentiation. We have a supply chain set up across the country, and the farmers we deal with are really happy with what we have started. A large part of quick commerce is still everyday essentials, grocery and fresh produce.

 

How is speed reshaping shopping behaviour among Prime members and are Prime subscribers increasingly turning to quick-commerce rivals for high-value items like smartphones, not just eggs and vegetables?

 

Our Prime customer base continues to grow in India. Prime customers are shopping three times more with us, using Amazon Now, and Amazon Now is growing 25 per cent month over month right now.

 

Since launching Prime in 2016, we added video, exclusive offers, and Prime Day — and it remains a key differentiator, even for our speed offer.

 

If a selection is available in 10-minute delivery somewhere else and we don't have it, shame on us. We will get it. It's just a question of not if, it's a question of when. These micro-fulfilment centres are small inside — there will only be so much selection we can carry. But we will maximise that selection. We have 10 years of experience building the supply chain for perishables as well as core products.

 

An ICICI Securities report puts Flipkart at roughly 50–60 per cent GMV share in Indian e-commerce, Amazon at 25–30 per cent, and Meesho at 10 per cent. How do you respond?

 

I don't buy that. If you're watching a cricket game, the decision is not made in the commentary box. It's made on the field.

 

Our Prime customer base is the biggest in the country. When I look internally at all the metrics and data, none of that is true, in my opinion. There will be speculation and reports. I focus on improving our customers' experience.

 

For example, 70 per cent of my Prime customer base is coming from Tier-II and -III cities. There, e-commerce is just starting to take off, but speed is definitely a challenge. I spend all my time and energy on improving the inputs for that customer base, along with figuring out how I can launch quick commerce in 100 cities, with a differentiated experience. I believe if we do that well, customers are going to give us their wallet. 

  Quick commerce appears to be hitting saturation in top metros. Amazon has announced expansion to 100 cities. How do you tailor the experience for price-sensitive consumers in Tier-II and -III India, where infrastructure, language, and buying behaviour are fundamentally different? 

Last year, Amazon waived the seller referral fee to ₹0 for products priced under ₹300. This year, we expanded that zero-referral fee structure to products priced up to ₹1,000. That is a big lever for us with value-conscious customers.

 

We are also building a Bazaar offering, which is blending into our overall Amazon experience. You'll see the Now experience and the Bazaar experience on the same app. It will make it easier for those customers to shop with us.

 

How is AI helping with this?

 

I am a believer that in most of the developed world, AI will make things better, but in India, I think AI will make things possible.

 

If I go to a small seller in Gujarat who's selling dolls, and she wanted to list that doll on our France website, earlier, that seller wouldn't have had the capability, even with the selling tools we had. Now, with our AI selling assistant, you take a picture of the product, and we can list it on the platform. We have AI that enables translation. Your entire product listing is created first in Gujarati or English, then translated into French and listed on Amazon.fr. In each one of those steps, AI is making it possible. I see a big opportunity with our seller community. 

  Amazon completed the acquisition of Axio — formerly Capital Float — giving you a direct NBFC (non-banking financial company) lending licence. Does this signal a deeper push into financial services?

 

Payment is an enabler of our flywheel. Axio will help lower the cost of higher-priced purchases for both Amazon and our customers. We have affordability levers -- whether it's instalments or lending. And as we penetrate into lower-tier cities, some of these products are going to be a huge help in enabling our customers to shop online.

 

You came back to India to help launch Amazon.in in 2013, and now you're steering it through its most complex competitive phase. What does the next decade look like — and what would success genuinely look like for Amazon India in 2035?

 

We'll continue to expand our selection. We'll continue to focus on the best value for our customers, and we'll continue to deliver the best possible speed and convenience.

 

We believe we'll have the largest selection available at the fastest speed, with the maximum coverage — hopefully every pin code in the country, wherever we can do it. That will be our first and foremost goal.

 

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos always says that if you leave behind happy customers, he's happy with that outcome. I believe in the next decade, we'll do the same. We'll leave behind really happy customers. Whether I am around or not, we'll have a strong team and the Day One culture.

 

What will we do 10 years from now? We'll definitely be winning in India.