Amazon launches first resource center ‘Digital Kendra’ to onboard MSMEs on e-commerce marketplace

Amazon and Flipkart are at the moment going through an antitrust probe by the competitors watchdog Competitors Fee of India (CCI) for allegations round anti-competitive practices.

Know-how for MSMEs: Amazon on Thursday introduced the launch of its first Digital Kendra in Surat, Gujarat for digitization of native MSMEs. The announcement was made at a digital occasion organised by Amazon in presence of Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani. The e-commerce market, which competes with Walmart-owned Flipkart and others, mentioned vital investments have been made in Gujarat by the corporate and enabled hundreds of native jobs. Amazon has over 1 lakh sellers from Gujarat promoting on its market.

Amazon Digital Kendras are offline facilities set as much as assist MSMEs change into conscious of on-line promoting, avail third-party providers reminiscent of transport and logistics assist, cataloging help, digital advertising and marketing providers, GST and taxation assist to ascertain their on-line presence. “Surat is a key MSME hub within the state. So, we’ve got set our first Digital Kendra in probably the most essential MSME clusters in Surat and within the nation to cater to hundreds of MSMEs positioned in and across the metropolis,” Amit Agarwal, Senior Vice President and Nation Head, Amazon India mentioned throughout the launch. The corporate has three achievement facilities within the state with greater than 1.5 m cubic ft of cupboard space and greater than 100 Amazon-owned supply service associate stations which have resulted in hundreds of native jobs, he added.

Gujarat CM Rupani mentioned folks in Gujarat transfer to Surat for jobs in MSME companies concerned in diamond, textile, and different sectors whereas over 41,000 models of MSME companies are primarily based within the metropolis. “Via Amazon’s digital facility, these MSMEs will get a worldwide platform. Beneath Amazon Digital Kendra, MSMEs will get on-line coaching, steering, and different assist,” added Rupani.

Subscribe to Financial Express SME newsletter now: Your weekly dose of news, views, and updates from the world of micro, small, and medium enterprises

Based on Amazon, which is going through an antitrust probe together with Flipkart by the competitors watchdog Competitors Fee of India (CCI) for allegations round anti-competitive practices, it has cumulatively digitised 2.5 million MSMEs in India since its India foray in 2013. Furthermore, the cumulative e-commerce exports by over 70,000 MSMEs by way of Amazon World Promoting stood at over $3 billion that helped churn out near 1 million direct and oblique jobs in India, Amazon had mentioned in April this 12 months.

The corporate had final 12 months in January introduced $1 billion funding to digitise 10 million Indian MSMEs over the next 5 years. Throughout its inaugural Smbhav occasion in January 2020, Amazon Founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos had mentioned that “Amazon will make investments an incremental $1 billion to digitise micro and small companies in cities, cities, and villages throughout India, serving to them attain extra clients than ever earlier than. This initiative will use Amazon’s world footprint to create 10 billion {dollars} in India exports by 2025.”