To make the festive season of 2024, a big success for sellers in Odisha and across India, Amazon has rolled out various initiatives and innovations. It has announced a significant reduction in selling fees – 3% to 12% across categories such as groceries, fashion and electronics, to help sellers increase their earnings and offer better prices to customers. This will allow sellers to optimize their operations for the Diwali shopping rush and continue to drive business growth after the festivities.
The upcoming festive season is a big opportunity for SMBs in Odisha to boost their online business through e-commerce, with a potential increase in consumer spending. This year, more than 16,000 sellers from the state, will list and showcase their products on Amazon.in, reaching their customers across 100% serviceable pin codes of India. By taking advantage of the increased demand, traffic, and special offers, these sellers can boost their sales and reach new customers.
Gaurav Bhatnagar, Director – Sales at Amazon India said:
At Amazon, we are committed to empower the SMBs of Odisha by helping them leverage the benefits of e-commerce. Every year, we roll out various initiatives to prepare them for the festive season through better product listings and selections, which can help them boost their sales.
We are confident that the reduction in selling fees, along with rest of the solutions and features that we offer, will enable the sellers to achieve unprecedented success during the festive season and beyond.
Amazon is leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to help sellers streamline their key operations like registration, listing and advertising, forecast demand, improve catalogue quality and product listings, and recommend deals and promotions. It has recently launched the Beta version of Rufus, a GenAI based shopping assistant trained on Amazon’s product catalogue and information from across the web. Rufus can answer customer questions on shopping needs, products, and comparisons, make recommendations based on this context, and facilitate product discovery. It will make it easier for customers to find and discover, research, and buy products from sellers on Amazon.in.
To support sellers, Amazon has introduced several new tools and features like Sale Event Planner, which assists sellers in managing and executing major sale events, and AI-powered innovations such as Imaging Services and Listing Assistants. The Self-Service Registration (SSR 2.0) simplifies onboarding with multi-language support and streamlined registration and invoicing processes. Additionally, the Sale Event Planner helps sellers craft compelling deals and provides valuable insights for effective inventory planning. The New Seller Success Center offers detailed guidance on setting up online shops and utilizing features like Ads, Prime, and deals. Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF)will make it easier for sellers to reach more customers by using Amazon’s delivery network.
Amazon’s investments in infrastructure enable fast & reliable delivery experience for customers
Over the years, Amazon has invested in creating a robust physical infrastructure across India and in Odisha. Today it has 1 sortation centre in Odisha along with nearly 50 Amazon-owned and Partner Delivery Stations and more than 300 ‘I Have Space’ stores. These investments in infrastructure are helping sellers from Odisha deliver to their customers across 100% serviceable pin codes, and also creating employment opportunities in the state.
SMBs of Odisha embrace e-commerce to drive business growth
Devendra Behera, is the proud owner of ‘Smileseller,’ a renowned home decor store located in Khordha town, Odisha. His journey began in 2020 when he started selling home decor items as an accomplished interior designer. As an accomplished interior designer himself, he recognized the shortage dearth of decor products in his small town.
Consequently, he took the initiative to establish his store. Over 2.5 years, Devendra witnessed remarkable growth in his business, primarily attributable to the one-day delivery feature. This translated into an impressive tally of over 1500 orders per year, predominantly comprising LED lights and mirrors, chairs, curtains, showpieces, and other such items.