During peak times the amount of delivery increases considerably, so my household income increases as well. I’ve now been able to start investing in my own business. My daughter’s ambition is to become an IAS officer, and I will do my best to realise her dreams.
Our partners in success
At the heart of Amazon’s successful delivery strategy lies its last-mile connectivity program — IHS. What began with 2,500 neighborhood stores, now has over 20,000 stores. Its programme partners are local entrepreneurs — general store owners, kiosk owners, mobile accessories, repair and recharge shopkeepers, grocery store owners, vegetable vendors, etc. — who are not only familiar with their neighbourhoods, but also enjoy the goodwill of their communities.
Today she helps deliver about 35-50 packages every day as an Amazon IHS partner, earning an extra INR 15,000-20,000 per month.
Through the lens of courage and confidence
With a seven-member family to look after, and being differently-abled, led Ketan M Rodriguez, the owner of Baba General Stores of Vikhroli, Mumbai to believe he had to stay cooped up in his shop until sales shoot up. But after several lean periods and not many profits to fall back on, Ketan wondered if there were any other options that could be explored as opposed to the current roadblock he was experiencing.
The partnership with Amazon at around the same time was a shot in the arm for Ketan, who felt more bounded by his limitations than by anything else. He was introduced to the 'I Have Space' program of Amazon by his friend as the possibility of a partnership with Amazon. What ensued was a success story filled with opportunity, determination and new-found hope.
Armed with a three-wheeled scooter and a physical store already in place, Ketan said 'why not?' to a partnership that allowed him to select a delivery and pick-up point and also deliver Amazon shipments to homes in the vicinity. For a person who felt that it was impossible to step out of his house, the courage this partnership gave him was boundless.
Not only has the audience expanded online, but the people he met by virtue of deliveries have also located Baba General Stores and have begun to drop in for supplies of late.
Ketan wants his story to inspire more differently abled individuals. Today, ambition rings clear and loud in his voice as he speaks about Amazon not as a work partner but as a beacon of hope in his life.
Take the case of Arun, a mobile recharge and repair shop owner in Amritsar, Punjab. His business wasn’t flourishing and life was quite hard for him—he was barely able to meet daily expense of his family. But once he started working with Amazon, his life changed completely.
When I started this work, I did not have to make any investment. There was no fee. So I thought it would be a part-time work and would provide some additional income. But soon, it turned into my primary source of income. Now I am able to fulfil every need of my family
Ease of delivery and pick up
The programme does not require any investments from the local partners, while ensuring consumer traffic to their own stores — translating into a win–win strategy for all. The IHS program requires local storeowners to deliver products to customers within a 2–4 km radius of their stores. In addition, their stores also double up as pick-up points for customers residing in the neighbourhood. On an average, Amazon’s IHS store partners deliver between 20–30 packages a day, while earning a fixed amount per delivery in return.
Compared to how things were earlier, it’s been much easier to run the house since we started working with Amazon.
Growing footprint
The innovative delivery program was launched in 2015, and today boasts of IHS partners in over 180 cities in India. Most IHS centers are located in tier-II and III towns, such as Amritsar, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Kota, Bharuch, Nasik, Kolhapur, Belgaum, Tirupur, Warrangal, Guntur, Raipur, Agra, Kohlapur, and Dehradun, in addition to India’s leading metro cities.
Partnering with Amazon has been one of the best decisions of our lives. We are very proud to have created our own identity. We are now recognized as Amazon Partners’ and that has also helped us attract more footfall to our vegetable shop.
'My family is happy with the extra earnings'
A grocery owner in Jorhat, Assam - Nagen Chandra Das- says that his life turned around after partnering with Amazon. "I was told to that I can deliver parcels to a 3-4 Kms radius whenever I had free time. This flexibility is good as I can run the shop and do this too. Everyone in my family is happy because we are now earning more, thanks to the number of parcels increasing. Also, customers have begun recognizing me and that helps our store's business too.:
'IHS has given me additional income'
For the differently abled Manoj Gatty, who owns a general store at Katipala in Karnataka, empowerment came in many different ways when he partnered with us. From a small-time retailer who barely earned enough to make ends meet, today he earns an additional income through his affiliation with IHS. His store has begun to grow in popularity in the locality, and what's more, he has also hired a delivery hand. In his own words, "Amazon has given me and my family a new lease of life."
'It helped brighten a student’s future'
After partnering with us for the 'I Have Space' (IHS) program, Neha Raj, who owns a small kiosk of cosmetic goods in Patna, saw her monthly income more than double. Barely a few months into the program, moreover, she could even employ a young student, who paid his college tuition fees through his earnings as her delivery boy. "There is no greater joy than to be able to support my family and brighten somebody else's future as well," shares Neha. Today she helps deliver about 35-50 packages every day as an Amazon IHS partner, earning an extra Rs.18,000-20,000 per month.
