Amazon India boxes clever as it expands local shops network

Amazon India says it has now tied in more than 50,000 offline retailers and small neighbourhood kirana stores into its ‘Local Shops on Amazon’ programme.

Local Shops is designed to give smaller retailers the opportunity to reach customers online with products ranging from fresh flowers and groceries to electronics and books. Meanwhile, Amazon is trying to tackle the mountain of packaging waste created as a result of its expansion in India – by asking customers to help solve the problem.

The details

• The number of stores in the Amazon programme has grown to over 50,000 from over 20,000 as recently as October last year, Amazon says.
• Stores in more than 450 cities, including metros and tier-two and tier-three cities, are taking part.
• Amazon India has also launched a campaign urging customers to #PledgeToReuse and recycle packaging boxes. Or, better still, get creative and use boxes as storage in the home or convert them into playthings. Those who share their creations on social media stand to win Amazon vouchers.

Key fact

Online commerce in India grew 36% during the last quarter of 2020, with personal care, beauty and wellness receiving the biggest boost, according to a report from management consultancy Kearney and e-commerce tech platform Unicommerce.