Amazon expands network to ensure faster deliveries
1 min read 12 Sep 2019, 12:01 AM ISTAmazon.in doubles the presence of its delivery service partner network with more than 1,400 delivery stations present across 750 citiesE-commerce firm starts the Amazon Flex programme, which offers part-time jobs to students, homemakers and retired professionals, to ensure faster deliveries during peak season
PremiumBENGALURU : E-commerce giant Amazon India is gearing up for the festive season by significantly expanding its partner networks for faster delivery. Amazon.in has doubled its delivery service partner network with over 1,400 stations across 750 cities compared to 700 delivery centres in 500 cities last year.
Amazon India now has increased its direct delivery presence in many states, with 2X growth in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Fast and reliable delivery is the most important part of the e-commerce business, along with the right product assortment.
“We are seeing a lot of adoption and that’s why we are building these services. When Amazon started in India, we guaranteed two-day and one-day services. Now, we have same-day and sub-same-day deliveries. With Prime Now, there are two-hour deliveries. We are continuing to build service offerings to give better customer experience," Akhil Saxena, vice president, India Customer Fulfilment, Amazon India, said over the phone.
Amazon India has also expanded its Amazon Flex programme, that it launched in June, to seven cities from three. Under the programme, the company offers students, homemakers and retired professionals part-time jobs, ensuring faster deliveries during peak season and creating Uber-style flexible jobs. The person needs to work for four hours a day and can earn Rs120-140 an hour delivering packages.
It has also extended it Pantry services to more than 125 cities.
For Amazon India, one area of focus has been Pantry, a grocery delivery service. It has now expanded the delivery network of Pantry three times
Amazon India’s rival, Walmart-backed Flipkart expects to double sales during its flagship festive season sales called The Big Billion Day (TBBD). Much like traditional retailers, e-commerce firms also look forward to the festive season (September-October) as the number of purchases go up significantly. According to RedSeer Management Consulting, a research and advisory firm focused on the consumer internet market, etailers sold products worth $2.5 billion last year during the five-day festive season sale. There has also been a doubling of road connectivity capacity from last year. The company now has close to 10,000 trucks on the road every day, connecting more than 1,000 cities.
Flipkart said it will kick off the festive season with The Big Billion Day from 29 September to 4 October.
