In preparation for the upcoming festive shopping season, Amazon India on Thursday announced the expansion of its delivery network with the addition of over 10,000 stores under its I Have Space program taking the total number to 12,500 stores.
The expansion will enable Amazon.in to efficiently manage deliveries across 22 states & union territories this festive season.
Under the I Have Space program, Amazon India partners with local store owners across different cities to deliver products to customers within a 2 – 4 kilometre radius of their store. Several of these stores also double up as pick-up points and receive deliveries on behalf of customers. These local entrepreneurs understand their area well and have immense goodwill in their neighbourhood to efficiently deliver and receive products.
Amazon.in has successfully unlocked the potential of such store owners, allowing them to supplement their regular income and generate more footfalls in their stores. On an average, Amazon India’s store partners deliver between 20 to 30 packages a day, earning a fixed amount per delivery.
Commenting on the expansion, Vice President, India Customer Fulfillment, Amazon India Akhil Saxena, said, “We believe customers, no matter where they reside or are located, value fast & reliable delivery. As we gear up for the upcoming festive season, we have expanded our delivery network by 5X and now have over 12,500 I Have Space stores in more than 50 cities with a majority being in tier II and III towns. It’s humbling to see that we have not only extended our reach and gotten closer to our customers but have also empowered thousands of local entrepreneurs to leverage our platform and scale greater heights.”
Talking about how this initiative has transformed his life, a retailer, Mr Nagarajan – who owns Selvam stores in Adambakkam, Chennai – said “After working in the private sector for around two decades I decided to start my own business and set up a grocery store. Because of the locality and inexperience in my business, I struggled for a few months. With four children to support, my family was in deep financial trouble. I am now an I Have Space store partner and have doubled my income. I do my deliveries in the afternoon while my wife takes care of the store during the lean time of the day. I am excited to partner with Amazon on this initiative which has helped fulfill a lot of my expectations.”
The Amazon India I Have Space program is open to all store owners who have the ability to service on foot or a two-wheeler. The only requirement to be an I Have Space partner is for the store owner to have sufficient manpower to make local deliveries during their off-peak hours and space for storage of the packages.
Currently, this program primarily consists of grocery, telecom, stationery, chemists, general stores and other modern trade outlets to name a few.
As another retailer, Neha Raj – who runs a small kiosk of cosmetic goods in Patna – puts it: “After partnering with Amazon India for their I Have Space program, not only has my monthly income more than doubled, I am able to employ a college student who derives his educational expenses through me. There is no greater joy for me than to support my family and brighten somebody’s future. I now have a distinct identity in my locality and several women come up to me to inquire about such opportunities.”
This program currently covers over 50 cities including Amritsar, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Kota, Vadodara, Bharuch, Nasik, Kolhapur, Belgaum, Tirupur, Warrangal, Vellore, Salem, Guntur, Raipur, Agra and Dehradun in addition to all large metros.
The channel handles a significant proportion of Amazon Logistics’ volumes in cities where it is present and is instrumental in fulfilling customer promises while transforming lives across the country.
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