Amazon Bazaar platform will offer a selection of affordable unbranded clothing and accessories to value shoppers in India.
As reported by the Economic Times (India) on Feb. 21, US e-commerce giant Amazon is ready to compete with SoftBank-backed Meesho, Flipkart’s Shopsy and Reliance Industries’ low-price platform, Ajio Street, in the segment of fast fashion which is gaining prominence in India.
Namely, Amazon is preparing to launch a platform called Bazaar specifically dedicated to merchants selling affordable popular clothing styles. The platform reportedly offers no “extra charges”, zero referral fee, access to tens of millions of customers, “hassle-free” delivery and other benefits. There is also no closing fee for merchants using its Easy Ship service to sell on Amazon Bazaar.
Instead of earning from sellers’ commission fees, Bazaar will supposedly rely on other income sources, e.g. ad placement and additional value services.
The clothing, accessories, and other lifestyle products featured in Bazaar should be priced under 600 Indian rupees, or $7.2. These unbranded products might include apparel, watches, shoes, jewellery, luggage, home and kitchen accessories, etc.
Not only new sellers might register on the new platform, but also existing Amazon partners may freely move part or all of their goods to Bazaar if the products meet the mass market criteria.
Unlike Flipkart’s Shopsy, Bazaar won’t be a standalone app but rather be integrated into a general Amazon marketplace.
According to people familiar with the subject, Bazaar won’t offer same-day deliveries, based on the assumption that value shoppers typically do not prioritise faster deliveries, looking for additional ways to save money.
We have previously reported that Amazon plans to increase the volume of goods exported from India. Aiming to reach an export target of $20 billion by 2025, the e-commerce giant relies on a high level of international consumer demand for the products of Indian suppliers, especially those categorised under household items, robotic games for children, and organic health supplements.
Moreover, Amazon plans to invest $26 billion to expand and improve its operations in India by the end of the given decade. The Bazaar initiative is part of its efforts to gain greater market share in the prospective Indian market.
