Amazon takes another step towards fulfilling the dreams of India’s entrepreneurs and small businesses by bringing the benefits of e-commerce even closer to them. Amazon is setting up its first ‘Digital Kendra’, a brick and mortar resource centre, where MSMEs can learn about the benefits of eCommerce and kick start their journey towards being digital entrepreneurs.
The first Amazon Digital Kendra was launched by Shri Vijay Rupani, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat today in a virtual event. The first Digital Kendra has been set up in Surat, which is home to thousands of MSMEs and traders. Inaugurating the Amazon Digital Kendra, Shri Vijay Rupani said that initiatives like these have a multiplier effect in enabling our MSMEs to play a big role in taking India towards its vision of being a $5 trillion economy.
"This is an earnest endeavor to bring the right tools, support and services infrastructure closer to where MSMEs are based and help them benefit from ecommerce. Amazon Digital Kendras will help MSMEs address and overcome challenges they face and transition towards a digital economy," said Amit Agarwal, Global SVP and Country Head, Amazon India, at the virtual launch event.
It was an honour to have Shri @VijayRupaniBJP, Hon’ble CM, Gujarat, launch our first #AmazonDigitalKendra.
— Amit Agarwal (@AmitAgarwal) July 8, 2021
The Kendra will help MSMEs grow their business with adoption of technology and play an even more important role in the revival and growth of the Indian economy. https://t.co/kqx11PFRUh
Speaking on this this initiative that reinforces Amazon’s commitment to digitise and empower small businesses and encourage entrepreneurs, Manish Tiwary, VP India Consumer Business, Amazon India, added, “Over the years, we have rolled out several programs and initiatives to simplify ecommerce for Indian businesses, and today with the launch of the first Amazon Digital Kendra in Surat, we are taking yet another important step towards our long-term commitment. We sincerely hope that the Amazon Digital Kendra will help MSMEs in Surat and other nearby areas and catalyse digital adoption, helping them to recover from the recent challenges."
Amazon will engage with local partners to set up and manage the Digital Kendras. Experts at the Digital Kendra centres will provide awareness, guidance and support on a range of third party services including shipping and logistics support, cataloguing, digital marketing, GST and taxation. They will empower MSMEs with greater awareness and understanding of e-commerce, the exports markets, and offer tools to grow their business. MSMEs can also avail onboarding services if they are interested in registering as sellers on Amazon.in or want to avail of other programs such as Amazon Global Selling, Amazon Pay, Amazon Karigar, Amazon Saheli ‘I Have Space’, ‘Amazon Easy’ etc.
Last year, Amazon had announced plans to invest $1 billion to digitally enable MSMEs including manufacturers, resellers, local offline shops, and brands. Amazon aims to digitize 10 million MSMEs with this investment, helping Indian businesses grow by selling online worldwide and enabling US $10B in cumulative exports by 2025. Amazon Digital Kendra is an important step towards this vision; these centers will address and overcome challenges MSMEs face and help them transition towards becoming a part of India's growing digital economy.
