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'Don't' be Afraid of the Internet, Get Hooked to the Digital Platform and be Customer-Focused' is Amazon Chief's Mantra for Indian SMEs(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) NEW DELHI, Oct. 1 -- The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry issued the following news release: "Don't be intimidated by the internet, lean into the future and get hooked to the digital platform." This is the mantra proffered to Indian Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by Mr. Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.com). FICCI in association with Amazon.in organized a special session with Mr. Bezos where he engaged in an interactive dialogue with Mr. Kiran Karnik, former President of NASSCOM, on 'Creating an enabling environment for SMEs in the digital economy'. In July 2014, Amazon.com announced additional investment to the tune of US$2 billion into Amazon India. "After our first year in business, the response from customers and SMEs in India has far surpassed our expectation. We see huge potential in the Indian economy and for the growth of e-commerce in India. With his additional investment of US$2 billion, Amazon team can continue to think big, innovate and raise the bar for customers in India. At current scale and growth rates, India is on track to be our fastest country ever to a billion dollars in gross sales," he said. "What is stunning about India is the speed at which it is growing and that is one of the tailwinds for the growth of e-commerce," said Mr. Bezos and added that "India is unbelievably energising; the people are focused on learning and extremely inventive." He said, "Usually companies are worrying and obsessing about competition, when they should be worrying and obsessing about their customers." For SMEs in India, the FBA offering is working better than expected. "Amazon India teams go out and train SMEs, give them tips and teach them the tricks on how to use the internet tools, he said and added that SMEs can reach out to global customers in America, Europe and Japan with the right logistics and systems." Amazon is working extensively with the Indian SMEs said Mr. Bezos. At present, Amazon is promoting SMEs with several indigenous e-tailing in itiatives. An outreach programme is currently being run in India to train SMEs on how to use the tools, techniques and processes that are available through internet for promoting and expanding their businesses. Mr. Bezos added that Indian SMEs can reach out to the global audience and consumers across the globe with the application of right technology and right logistics planning. Referring to the innovative offerings by Amazon, Mr. Bezos said that Easy Ship is an assisted shipping service that makes it easy for sellers to ship products across India. With Amazon Easy Ship, after order confirmation, sellers pick and pack the shipment, confirm to Amazon that they are ready to ship and Amazon collects the shipment and ensures that the product is delivered to the customer. Sellers benefit from low shipping rates, COD and pre-paid orders, scheduled pickups, faster delivery and automated shipment tracking. Customers get track-able shipments, COD and pre-paid orders and faster and predictable delivery time. On an average, sellers have reported a sales uplift of 50 per cent after using Easy Ship. 'Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)', Mr. Bezos said is a world-class offering where sellers store their products in Amazon's warehouses, and then Amazon pi cks, packs and delivers the orders to customers, provide customer service and handle returns. With the help of FBA, sellers enjoy a low cost of doing businesses - they can list an unlimited number of products with no listing fees and don't need to make any investments in the fulfillment process. They take advantage of Amazon's investment in technology and innovation an d offer customers a secure payment infrastructure, globally renowned world-class fulfillment infrastructure and customer services including 100% purchase protection supported by Amazon's A-Z Guarantee. Seventy-five per cent of units shipped at Amazon.in are through FBA. As a part of its ongoing commitment to continually enhance services to customers and sellers, ASSPL has seven Fulfillment Centres (FCs) operation al in Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Tauru (outskirts of Gurgaon) besides the ones in Mumbai and Bangalore. Amazon now offers over half a million sq. feet of storage capacity for sellers of all sizes. Mr. Bezos believes that for any organization customer should be the focal point and Amazon's policies are customer-centric. He also said that passion for invention is one of the most important aspects for any business. There will be failures but with each failure one moves closer to a successful innovation. Long term thinking and planning is also essential, said Mr. Bezos. Willingness to be patient is critical to reap long term benefits. Speaking about Amazon's India operations, Mr. Bezos said that in India, Amazon will set up performance centres, upgrade logistics services, an d develop mobile platform and new tools and techniques to help small and medium businesses grow. He added that India is an amazing country, which is full of opportunities and boasts of people who are hard-working, vibrant and have a zest to succeed. Dr. (Ms.) Jyotsna Suri, Senior Vice President, FICCI, emphasized the need for SMEs to adopt and adapt the digital platform extensively for strengthening and furthering their business and opening the doors of the global market for themselves. TNS 18EstebanLiz-141002-30FurigayJane-4882751 30FurigayJane (c) 2014 Targeted News Service |