Amazon takes Titan to the US as part of Global Selling programme

Amazon India has announced a partnership with Titan watches, helping the latter foray into the US through its Global Selling programme. With this development, Titan will be available on Amazon.com in the US and eventually across other Amazon marketplaces.

Titan watches, available in more than 30 countries, will soon be followed by accessories in the US. Titan will also launch Fastrack accessories now.

Launched in India in May 2015, the Amazon Global Selling programme makes it easier for all Indian sellers — entrepreneurs, SMEs, manufacturers, as well as large brands — to sell their products to consumers across the globe. Amazon claims that the programme has witnessed a 70 percent increase in seller base as compared to last year, with over 23,000 Indian sellers currently on the platform selling across Amazon’s 10 global marketplaces.

For Titan, e-commerce is the best channel to enter the US, says S Ravikant, CEO, Watches and Accessories, Titan. Of the $12 billion market for watches in the US, about 20 percent is contributed by e-commerce. Titan is entering the scene with 500 models in watches, with no offline presence.

Ravikant adds: “Somewhere in the world a Titan watch is being purchased every three seconds. While this is a reflection of Titan’s popularity, it is also propelling us to expand our boundaries. Titan has over 200 million customers and 7,000 retail stores spread over more than 30 countries including the Middle East region and all of Asia. But with global demand heading north, Titan is westward bound; our entry into the US via the Amazon Global Selling programme allows us access directly to the American market. We plan to enter the EU, UK, and Japan too.”

Focus on marketing

Titan watches in the US will come under Fulfilled by Amazon so that customers can get the delivery in one or two days. Titan’s foremost concern is not growth in volume or margins but brand recognition and marketing. They already claim to have more than 50 percent market share in India. In the US, Ravikant says, most of their investment is in digital marketing and logistics.

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Not just Titan but brands like Biba, Fabindia, Chandrika, Himalaya, Manyavar, Amul, Liberty, and Organic India are also among the sellers part of the Global Selling programme.

Gopal Pillai, Director & GM, Seller Services, Amazon India, says, “Since its inception in 2015, our Global Selling programme has grown multifold and has been constantly taking ‘Made in India’ products global. We are delighted that the programme is enabling emerging companies as well as iconic Indian brands such as Titan to leverage the opportunity to access a large base of hundreds of millions of Amazon customers.”