Amazon ropes in over 9,000 sellers from Northeast

Over 9,000 sellers from the Northeast have registered with e-commerce giant Amazon India and are currently conducting business on its online platform, said Kshitij Jain, Director of External Fulfillment at Amazon India.

"Over 9,000 sellers from the Northeastern region are looking forward to benefiting from this festive season and will showcase an authentic and wide range of products, including raw honey, Santipuri Bengal cotton handloom sarees, handmade wicker accessories, and grass and bamboo items," Jain added while addressing a press conference on September 20.

Notably, the company has waived 50% of the selling cost for the next festive season in an effort to attract more local dealers to its platform.

''The company will keep investing in empowering sellers to expand their businesses and help customers wherever they are in India and the world through e-commerce,'' Jain said.

Additionally, in order to assist new sellers in starting their digital journey, the company is offering a 50 percent waiver on referral fees for new sellers registering on Amazon.in from August 28 to October 26.

''This is a fee that all sellers pay for selling their products on Amazon India and is a percentage of the total sales price that is paid by the buyer,'' he said. 

Jain further said that businesses of all sizes, including smaller stores, traditional weavers and artisans, women entrepreneurs, startups, and digital entrepreneurs, who are assisting in expanding the wide range of products accessible on Amazon India, are eligible for the fee waiver.

Amazon has partnered up with government organizations like Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (TRIFED), North Eastern Handicrafts and Handloom Development Corp (NEHHDC), and Manipur Handloom & Handicrafts Development Corp Ltd to support artists and weavers (MHHDCL).

"So far, we have empowered over 3.5 lakh artisans and weavers from the region through these initiatives," an official statement said.

Jain further said that more than five lakh women entrepreneurs have benefited from the Amazon Saheli programme, under which the company has tied up with various government bodies and NGOs.

"Last year, Amazon launched the Spotlight Northeast storefront, designed to boost the local economy, create jobs, accelerate financial inclusion, and empower women across the eight states of the region," he added.