Amazon to create $ 10 billion exports, digitize 10 million SMEs and 2 million jobs by 2025: India Head

India's e-commerce industry will create 12 million new jobs by 2030, and before that, by 2025, Amazon alone is aiming to create 2 million of these new jobs in the industry. Speaking at a retail summit to deliver his keynote address earlier today, Amit Agarwal, senior global vice president and country head of Amazon India, set the above goal for his company and for the e-commerce industry in India. Additionally, he stated that the company now plans to digitize and incorporate 1 crore (10 million) small and medium-sized businesses into its e-commerce and digital payment platform, which includes 1 million local offline stores. He also claimed that Amazon will help local businesses reach $ 10 billion (roughly Rs 74,113 crore) in exports from India.

Mr Agarwal spoke about Amazon's recent efforts to enable thousands of small businesses, including local stores, to go national and global, at the ongoing ET Retail Summit 2021. He also detailed the company's possible future efforts in this space, laying out export targets to support Aatmanirbhar Bharat. narrative. Speaking about the recent trends that Amazon India has seen in terms of sellers on its platform, Agarwal said: "Our seller base in India today exceeds 8.5 lakh, of which 3 lakh new businesses joined Amazon within the past 18 months itself – amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. This number also includes nearly 75,000 local stores, spread across 450 cities all over India."

This influx of local businesses and sellers on the platform, Agarwal says, caters to more Indians who use digital services in their daily lives, which he supports by stating that nearly 85 percent of new users to the platform today come from non-metropolitan cities, therefore offering ample opportunity for small businesses to serve niche demands.

Mr Agarwal also claimed that small businesses and local offline stores that join Amazon's platform are not just restricted to serving local and national consumers. "Chandralekha Creations from Varanasi, an offline apparel business that is now over two decades old, went global with Amazon in 2016. Today, it is a highly rated and recognised Indian fashion brand for buyers in the USA, UK, Australia and the Middle-east," said Agarwal, as an example of Amazon's potential to contribute to India's local manufacturing and export narratives.