Over 50,000 offline retailers, kirana stores now part of Local Shops: Amazon India

Ecommerce major Amazonon Sunday said over 50,000 offline retailers and neighbourhood kirana stores across 450 cities in India are now part of its 'Local Shops' programme.

Launched in April this year, Local Shops aims to enable local shopkeepers and kirana store owners to sell online. In October, Amazon India had said the programme had seen participation from over 20,000 retailers in 400 cities.

More than 50,000 offline retailers and neighbourhood stores from 450 cities — from metros to Tier II and III cities like Sangli, Osmanabad, Jamnagar, Gorakhpur, Jabalpur, Ratlam, Bikaner, Tumkur, Jalpaiguri, Kanchipuram, and Dehradun have joined the Local Shops on Amazon programme, a statement said on Sunday.

They offer customers in their cities a wide range of products, including fresh flowers, home and kitchen products, furniture, electronics, books, and toys, among others, it added.

"What started as a pilot, has now become a pan-India phenomenon, enabling local businesses to come online and benefit from technology adoption and ecommerce. The encouraging response to the Local Shops on Amazon programme reflects in the rapid scale-up of the programme to over 50,000 sellers in less than one year of launch," Amazon India Vice President Manish Tiwary said.

It underlines how digital enablement and digital inclusion can help them scale and contribute to a digital economy, he added.

"We remain committed to working closely with the millions of MSMEs, including the vast network of neighbourhood stores across the country, as part of our focus on transforming the way India buys and sells," he said.

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Amazon India said the programme helps these neighbourhood stores supplement the existing footfalls at their stores with a digital presence, and expands their reach beyond the normal catchment.

Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan topped the list of the highest number of Local Shops among states. At the same time, Delhi, Surat, Jaipur, Bengaluru, and Mumbai had the highest number of Local Shops in terms of cities.

The most popular product categories on Local Shops were grocery, kitchen products, appliances, beauty products, consumer electronics, home items, furniture, business and industrial supplies, apparel, and wireless accessories.