Amazon Optimistic on Stable E-Commerce Policy From India

The commerce ministry is currently in the process of finalising the national e-commerce policy.

Advertisement
By Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: 26 July 2019 18:04 IST

Amazon is hopeful that the Indian government would release a "stable predictable" e-commerce policy that would allow the retail behemoth keep investing and creating jobs in the country.

The commerce ministry is currently in the process of finalising the national e-commerce policy and multinational firms have raised concerns over certain provisions of the draft policy.

"Our engagement with the Indian government makes us optimistic about partnering and collaborating to seek a stable predicable policy that allow us to continue investing in our technology and infrastructure," Brian Olsavsky, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Amazon, said late Thursday.

Advertisement

The draft policy proposes to set up a legal and technological framework for restrictions on cross-border data flow and also laid out conditions for businesses regarding collection or processing of sensitive data locally and storing it abroad -- which is a cause for concern among major players in the market.

Advertisement

The new Indian norms on foreign direct investment (FDI), which came into effect on February 1, prohibit e-tailers from selling products of companies in which they have stakes, despite both Amazon and Walmart seeking a six-month delay in their implementation.

As per the new norms, online marketplaces such as Flipkart and Amazon have been barred from selling products of companies where they hold stakes and the government has also banned exclusive marketing arrangements that could influence product prices.

Advertisement

These changes have a direct impact on, for instance, the US giant Walmart, which recently acquired a 77 per cent majority stake in the Indian e-retail major Flipkart.

Amazon has been forced to remove an array of products from its India website in order to comply with the new regulations.

Advertisement

Keeping this in mind, during an earning call with analysts after the company posted mixed results for the second quarter (Q2) 2019, Olsavsky said that a favourable e-commerce policy in India would "help us to create jobs and scale local businesses".

Under its global selling programme, Amazon expects e-commerce exports from India to reach $5 billion (roughly Rs. 35,000 crores) by 2023.

"In India, we continue to see growth in programmes for both sellers -- for our sellers and delivery partners. In the last 18 months, we've doubled the number of paid Prime member, which we're very excited about.

"We've invested a lot in our global selling programme, which helps Indian sellers not only reach customers in India, but also in other geographies around the world," Olsavsky noted as Amazon posted $63.4 billion in revenue with $2.6 billion in net income for the second quarter (Q2).

The Amazon executive said the company started "Amazon Flex" in India which helps its local partners to deliver packages, gives them jobs, grows the company's delivery capacity for sellers and increases the speed of delivery.

"So it's a win-win. We've also introduced package-free shipment programme in nine cities. This is going to be a big part of our shipment zero programme, a vision to make all Amazon shipment net carbon zero," emphasised Olsavsky.

Amazon is looking at a good quarter during the Diwali holidays.

"The events we have for Diwali were all in Q4 last year, some of them are in Q3 this year based on the timing of the holiday. So, that's factored into our revenue growth rate for the quarter," Olsavsky said.

 

Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.

Further reading: Amazon, India
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Beauty (2025) OTT Release Date: When and Where to Watch it Online?
  2. Oppo Reno 15 Pro Max, Reno 15 Pro Launched Globally Alongside Reno 15
  3. These Three Xiaomi 17 Series Phones Could Launch in India in Q1 2026
  4. Here's How Much the Realme 16 Pro Series Could Cost in India
  5. NASA's Chandra Spots Champagne Cluster Formed by a Massive Galaxy Collision
  6. MIT Develops 3D-Printable Aluminum Alloy That's Stronger Usual Metals
  7. LG Just Unveiled These New Xboom Speaker Models Ahead of CES 2026
  8. Lenovo to Reportedly Launch Four Copilot+ PCs at CES 2026
  9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Campaign Review: A New Low for the Franchise
  10. Vivo V70 Visits IMDA Database; Could Launch Soon With These Features
  1. New Year 2026 Custom Greetings: 5 Best AI Prompts for ChatGPT, Gemini, and Other AI Tools
  2. NASA’s Chandra Spots Champagne Cluster Formed by a Massive Galaxy Collision
  3. NASA’s Curiosity Rover Sends Stunning Sunrise-and-Sunset Holiday Postcard from Mars
  4. Oppo Find X9s Key Specifications Leaked Again; Might Also Launch in India
  5. Redmi Turbo 5, Redmi Turbo 5 Pro to Be Equipped With Upcoming MediaTek Dimensity Chips, Tipster Claims
  6. Vivo V70 Presence on IMDA Certification Database Points to Imminent Release
  7. MediaTek Dimensity 7100 Chipset Launched For Mid-Ranged Phones, Brings Efficiency Gains
  8. JWST Reveals Powerful Winds and Dense Atmosphere on Scorching Exoplanet TOI-561b
  9. New Year 2026 Scam Alert: This WhatsApp Greeting Could Wipe Your Bank Account
  10. Apple Fitness+ Teaser Hints at New Features Coming in January 2026
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.