Empowering small businesses
Amazon India continues to invest in initiatives that help bring the power of technology to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Amazon India has digitized over 6.2 million MSMEs, including sellers, artisans and weavers, and delivery and logistics service partners. These efforts are empowering local retail stores, artisans, and grassroot entrepreneurs to scale and grow their small businesses and broaden their customer reach. To simplify online selling and make e-commerce accessible to millions of MSMEs across India, Amazon India recently launched a slew of initiatives including Simplified Registration, Sale Event planner, New Seller Success Centre, and more.
In 2021, Amazon announced the $250 MM Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund to invest in technology-led startups that are passionate about unlocking possibilities for a digital India. The fund is focused on enabling entrepreneurs to invent, build and make in India. Over the last 24 months, Smbhav Venture Fund has made several investments, including companies like FreshtoHome, XYXX, Hopscotch, Fitterfly, Cashify, MyGlamm, M1xchange, and smallcase.
Boosting exports from India via ecommerce
Indian exporters on the Amazon Global Selling program are on track to cross $8 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports by the end of 2023. Amazon has built a robust infrastructure with its Global Selling program to help Indian businesses reach customers in 200+ countries and territories. This is helping Indian companies to create global brands across multiple product categories like traditional ones like textiles and Ayurveda to new ones like STEM Toys. Showing rapid momentum, the program now boasts 125,000+ exporters who are on track to cross $8 billion in cumulative exports by the end of 2023. The Amazon Global Selling program took seven years to enable the first $5 billion in e-commerce exports; the next $3 billion will come in 18 short months.
Creating jobs
Amazon India has created over 1.3 million direct and indirect jobs in the country. Its efforts in digitizating MSMEs and boosting e-commerce exports from India are helping support hundreds of thousands of of livelihood opportunities. In the last year alone, Amazon has helped create 140,000 jobs across industries like IT, e-commerce, logistics, manufacturing, content creation, and skill development, besides other indirect jobs in the seller community.
Amazon India has pledged to digitize 10 million MSMEs, enable $20 billion in e-commerce exports, and create 2 million jobs in India by 2025. It is on track to fulfil these pledges to the country.
As we continue to work with lakhs of micro-entrepreneurs, small businesses, and startups across the country, we remain committed to bringing new tools, technology, and innovation that will unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of Indian businesses, boost exports from the country, and help create jobs at scale.
"We strongly believe that technology and mobile internet will continue to positively impact India’s economic growth, and we see Amazon playing a larger role in the country’s digital transformation as a modern, thriving digital economy," he adds.
