BENGALURU: India is poised to become one of Amazon’s largest long-term growth drivers, the company’s country head Samir Kumar said on Wednesday, as the e-commerce giant ramps up investments in the market.
Calling India a “very large opportunity” for online retail, Kumar told PTI that despite widespread internet access, the country’s e-commerce penetration remains low. “We have close to a billion mobile phone users, but only around 100 million shop online. Our next 200 million customers will come from that gap,” he said.
Amazon has committed about ₹2,000 crore to its India operations for 2025 and is working towards a broader pledge of $26 billion by 2030, with nearly $15 billion earmarked for the 2023–2030 period. Kumar said India is among the fastest-growing markets for Amazon but did not give a specific timeline for when it might become a top contributor.
The company is focusing heavily on “Bharat”—Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities—where Kumar sees vast untapped potential. “Beyond Tier 1 cities, we’re starting to see deep penetration. During our recent Prime Day event, nearly 70% of new Prime members came from smaller towns, and 60–75% of participating sellers made sales to these locations,” he noted.
Kumar attributed Amazon’s optimism to rising GDP per capita, growing consumption, and increased comfort with online shopping. “As more consumers value convenience, India’s scale—1.4 billion people—offers enormous room for growth,” he said.
On trade tensions between India and the US, Kumar declined to comment, but emphasised Amazon’s focus on creating a smooth experience for sellers, including building logistics capabilities and simplifying compliance across marketplaces.
While pleased with progress so far, Kumar stressed Amazon’s long-term commitment: “We’re happy with where we are, but there’s still so much to do.”
