Selling online is worth the time invested: SMBs on Amazon India Small Business Day
A panel of small businesses came together on Amazon India’s Small Business Day to discuss their journeys on the ecommerce site, and explained that new sellers should not feel discouraged if they don’t find overnight success after listing online.
During Amazon India’s Small Business Day on December 12, 2020, a panel of small businesses came together to discuss their journeys on Amazon and explained that new sellers should not feel discouraged if they don’t find overnight success after listing online.
Hosted by Pranav Bhasin, Director, Seller Experience, Amazon India, the panel comprised Bhuman Dani, Co-Founder & Director, TGL Co; Param Bhargava, Founder, Khadi Essentials; Ishwar Seth, CEO, Setu Etail; and Balasubramanyam SV, co-venture founding member and GM, DurfiSleep.
These brands, which claimed to have seen over 15 to 20 times growth after listing on Amazon, agreed during the discussion that selling online is "not magic” and that it takes time to see success on ecommerce platforms.
Ishwar Seth, CEO, Setu Etail, an apparel business, said:
“Many SMBs list online with a lot of enthusiasm. But when something goes wrong initially, they feel online selling is not for them. My advice is that SMBs should make the most of the help Amazon provides in identifying and resolving any issues related to online selling.”
Khadi Essentials is a case in example. Param Bhargava, Founder of the Ayurvedic online store, said he listed on Amazon in August 2019 when the brand was seeing sales worth around Rs 5,000 per day.
“We did not see immediate success, and there were a lot of hygiene factors and intricacies to understand about ecommerce and Amazon. After incorporating some of the learnings, we started seeing small improvements. Today, we are seeing huge success and our sales have grown to a significantly large number” he said.
The SMBs then discussed how Amazon allows new brands to place their products next to established brands, thereby allowing them to tap into a customer base that is becoming more experimentitive.
Different aspects of selling online
The entrepreneurs also explained how their businesses survived the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Bhuman Dani of tea and coffee brand TGL said 80 percent of his business during the lockdown came from Amazon, and so he ensured his best selling products were well-stocked.
Amazon India held the panel discussion as part of its free Amazon Connect Web series, which is aimed at helping entrepreneurs understand different aspects of selling online with Amazon.
On this year’s Small Business Day, Amazon India is allowing customers to discover innovative products from micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses at discounted prices.
The ecommerce major said in a statement last week that the products for the Small Business Day have been selected from Amazon.in initiatives such as Karigar (focused on weavers, artisans), Amazon Saheli (women entrepreneurs), Amazon Launchpad (innovative startups), local shops on Amazon, Amazon Business, and thousands of micro, small and medium sellers on the marketplace.
Manish Tiwary, VP, Amazon India, had said:
“The year 2020 has been full of unprecedented challenges for businesses across India, and especially small businesses. At Amazon, we are committed to supporting our seven lakh+ sellers to continue the momentum built up over the past months through various sale events. With the Small Business Day, we want to create an opportunity for SMB and B2B sellers to generate greater customer demand, revenue, and end the year on a positive note.”
Edited by Teja Lele
