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Tag: amazon

  • Waze announces partnership with Amazon Music, adds new features

    Waze announces partnership with Amazon Music, adds new features

    During its first major virtual event suggestively called Waze On, the navigation company owned by Google revealed a slew of new features coming to the app, as well as an important partnership with another big name – Amazon.

    First off, Waze confirmed that Amazon Music will join its audio player partner program in the coming months so that Waze users can listen to Amazon Music in the app’s audio player without having to switch between apps.

    As far as the new features go, Waze revealed a bunch of those that will be available sooner or later on all compatible platforms. Lane Guidance is one of the new features announced today that will probably make many drivers very happy.

    With Lane Guidance, drivers will receive information in real-time about which lane to be when merging or exiting a stretch of freeway or highway. This is rolling out to users worldwide starting right now.

    Traffic Notifications is another important feature that will be available to users next month. It tells drivers how traffic will impact their journey to favorite/frequent destinations, in addition to one-time planned drives.

    Another major improvement coming to Waze users in October is Trip Suggestions, which shows personalized recommendations based on trips taken in the past, as well as locations are recently driven to. With Waze Trip Suggestions, drivers will get all the information they need before leaving, including the time the trip will take and the traffic along the way.

    Finally, there are some carpool features that Waze users in some markets will get later this month. The so-called “real-time rides” feature is meant to notify Waze drivers when they leave about riders on their route that are looking to carpool. This feature will also include integration with Moovit.

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  • Amazon India diverts into online medicines sales

    Amazon India diverts into online medicines sales

    Amazon India has opened a digital pharmacy trading in Bangalore in an attempt to grow its market reach in the highly competitive territory.

    The new Amazon Pharmacy service extends the firm’s online offer by trading in prescription and over-the-counter drugs, in a region where restricted medicines can often be purchased without evidence of the prescription. The firm will also trade in traditional remedies and health devices.

    India’s online medications industry operates in an environment where regulations are unclear, and where numerous startup-level firms are operating on a local scale. Amazon moved into the sector in its home market two years ago, purchasing American online pharmacy Pillpack.

    Amazon has recently expanded into food delivery, liquor trading and automobile insurance within the Indian market as part of its expansion moves.

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  • Amazon expands anti-counterfeit project to Singapore

    Amazon expands anti-counterfeit project to Singapore

    Amazon has expanded its anti-counterfeit program Project Zero to seven new countries, including Singapore and Australia, taking the number of operational territories to 17.

    The project combines Amazon’s technologies with brands’ knowledge of their own intellectual property to counter the trade in forged products. The system works by scanning the more than 5 billion attempted daily product listings on Amazon for suspicious products, using a machine-learning algorithm that is constantly improving.

    Project Zero also provides a self-service tool allowing brands to directly remove counterfeit goods listings from Amazon stores.

    More than 10,000 brands have already enrolled in the initiative.

    “Amazon is committed to protecting our customers and the brands we collaborate with worldwide,” said the firm’s VP of worldwide customer trust and partner support Dharmesh Mehta.

    “Project Zero has been a leap forward in protecting brands, especially for those that use all three of its components.”

    Brands currently using Project Zero that already have a trademark enrolled in one of the newly added countries can use it automatically in their additional stores.

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  • Amazon Project Zero Launches in Seven New Countries

    Amazon Project Zero Launches in Seven New Countries

    Amazon announced the expansion of Project Zero to seven new countries – Australia, Brazil, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkey, and the UAE – making it available in 17 countries where Amazon has a store. Project Zero combines Amazon’s advanced technology, machine learning, and innovation with the sophisticated knowledge that brands have of their own intellectual property so we can together drive counterfeits to zero.

    Launched in 2019, Project Zero builds on Amazon’s long-standing work and investments to ensure that customers always receive authentic goods when shopping on Amazon. Over 10,000 brands – from large, global brands to emerging entrepreneurs including Arduino, BMW, ChessCentral, LifeProof, OtterBox, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Veet – have already enrolled in Project Zero.

    “Amazon is committed to protecting our customers and the brands we collaborate with worldwide,” said Dharmesh Mehta, Vice President of Worldwide Customer Trust and Partner Support. “Project Zero has been a leap forward in protecting brands, especially for those that use all three of its components.”

    BMW, one of the world’s leading automotive brands with a portfolio of global trademarks, said: “Project Zero has been a very easy and effective tool at protecting BMW on Amazon. We are very appreciative of the tools Amazon has built to enable us to protect our brand.”

    “We are excited to see that Project Zero is expanding into the new marketplaces,” said Adrienne McNicholas, Co-Founder and CEO of Food Huggers. “The program has already had a very positive impact on our enforcement efforts and we are glad to see Amazon’s continued commitment to protecting our brand across the world.”

    Brands that are enrolled in Amazon Project Zero and already have a trademark enrolled in one of the newly launched countries will automatically be able to use Project Zero in these additional stores. New brands can learn more about and enroll in Amazon Project Zero at: https://projectzero.com/sg.

    Project Zero uses three key components to protect and empower brands:

    • Amazon’s automated protections proactively and continuously scan more than 5 billion attempted daily product listing updates globally to look for suspicious listings. These automated protections are powered by Amazon’s machine learning and are continuously fed new information, so we continue to get better in automatically preventing and blocking potential counterfeit listings.
    • We have invested significant resources over the years to proactively prevent counterfeits and continue to innovate and build technology-based solutions. Project Zero goes further with a self-service tool to empower brands and provides them with an unprecedented ability to directly remove listings from our store. These removals also feed into our automated protections, so we can better catch potential counterfeit listings proactively in the future.
    • Product serialization is enabled by a unique code that brands apply within their manufacturing or packaging process, and it allows us to individually scan and confirm the authenticity of every single purchase of a brand’s enrolled products from Amazon’s stores. While product serialization is optional, brands enrolled in Project Zero are seeing the best results when using product serialization.

    Project Zero is among a suite of tools Amazon has introduced to empower brands to protect their IP.

    • Amazon IP Accelerator helps businesses more quickly obtain intellectual property (IP) rights and brand protection in Amazon’s stores. The program was designed specifically with small and medium businesses in mind and is available to entrepreneurs worldwide that are looking to secure intellectual property in the U.S. IP Accelerator connects entrepreneurs with US law firms with expertise in trademark applications. Entrepreneurs also benefit from pre-negotiated rates. To learn more: https://brandservices.amazon.com/ipaccelerator
    • Amazon Brand Registry, a free service that gives brand owners access to a powerful set of tools that help them deliver an accurate and trusted customer experience on Amazon while protecting a brand’s IP. To enroll and learn more: https://brandservices.amazon.com/
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  • Axa Joint Venture Buys Amazon Japan Warehouse

    Axa Joint Venture Buys Amazon Japan Warehouse

    The firm’s real estate investment arm has acquired the ¥39 billion ($369 million) Tokyo logistics facility in a joint venture with fund manager ESR.

    The ESR-Axa vehicle purchased the 142,000-square-meter ESR Kuki, located in the north-eastern area of Saitama prefecture, from ESR-managed vehicle Redwood Japan Logistics Fund II (RJLF II) and co-investors.

    The site is built to the highest specifications and meets the latest ESG standards (CASBEE A certification), and is energy-saving compliant. The asset benefits from a human-centric design with plentiful amenity space for workers, such as children’s daycare centres, and access to 241 parking spaces, the announcement said. According to real estate intelligence platform Mingtiandi, Amazon leased nearly half of the facility just seven months ago.

    The demand for modern logistics space in this market is likely to remain strong due to tight supply and we are confident that this, coupled with the continued growth of e-commerce, will enable us to deliver secure income returns over the long term for our clients, alongside our joint venture partner, Laurent Jacquemin, Axa IM – Real Assets head of Asia-Pacific, said in a statement on Thursday.

    The acquisition adds to Axa Investment Managers – Real Assets’ Japanese logistics platform which comprises a six asset portfolio acquired on behalf of clients last year for over ¥100 billion, as part of its Japanese joint venture with ESR established in 2018.

    Axa said the joint venture will seek further investment and development opportunities diversified across Japan’s gateways cities, targeting large-high-quality modern logistics facilities that have the ability to deliver secure income returns over the long term.

    Axa IM – Real Assets is part of Axa IM Alts, which has €146 billion of assets under management as of end of March 2020, across real estate, infrastructure, private debt, structured finance and hedge funds

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  • Amazon Prime Day delayed until October

    Amazon Prime Day delayed until October

    It was already understood that Amazon Prime Day will not take place in July as it usually does every year, with the most recent report hinting that it might get delayed until September. According to a new report, the annual sales event will be held in October.

    The company has supposedly given sellers a placeholder date of the week of October 5. A definitive date will likely be announced later.

    Those details were apparently shared by Amazon in an e-mail to third-party sellers. Officially, the e-tailer has not said anything about this year’s Prime Day. In recent weeks, the coronavirus has shown signs of resurgence, prompting many businesses that had reopened to close their doors again. Amazon is apparently postponing Prime Day again because it fears its supply chain could get negatively affected because of the spike.

    At the beginning of the pandemic, Amazon suspended shipments of nonessential items to its warehouses as it struggled to deal with increased demand following the outbreak. The e-commerce giant prioritized essentials such as medical supplies and household items during that time.

    Towards the end of April, the company said it would allow third-party sellers to resume shipments of nonessential products.

    Last month, the company organized a fashion-oriented sale to help sellers reeling from the effects of the pandemic and clear inventory in preparation for the Prime Day.

    Now as coronavirus cases are rising again, Amazon’s logistical challenges have resurfaced. Although the future is uncertain, a former Amazon executive does not think Prime Day will be delayed beyond October as the company wouldn’t want its biggest sale event to coincide with the holiday shopping season.

  • Amazon pledges US$2 billion in Climate Pledge Fund

    Amazon pledges US$2 billion in Climate Pledge Fund

    Global retail giant Amazon has pledged US$2 billion for a new Climate Pledge Fund to foster sustainable technologies and services that will enable it to achieve net-zero carbon by 2040.

    The US-headquartered company says it will “back visionary companies whose products and services will facilitate the transition to a zero-carbon economy”.

    Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos says the fund will accept applications for grants from companies of any size worldwide, from pre-product startups to well-established enterprises. “Each prospective investment will be judged on its potential to accelerate the path to zero carbon and help protect the planet for future generations,” he said in a statement.

    Companies operating in industries including transportation and logistics, energy, manufacturing, the circular economy, and food will be eligible.

    The Climate Pledge was founded by Amazon in partnership with Global Optimism last year with a commitment to reach the goal of the Paris Agreement 10 years early – by 2040. Other companies have since signed on to the pledge, including consumer-goods company Reckitt Benckiser, tech giant Infosys and US telco Verizon.

    Bezos said the commitments by companies of that size send an important signal to the market that there will be rapid growth in demand for products and services that help reduce carbon emissions.

    Amazon has already invested in a company called Rivian, ordering 100,000 electric-powered delivery vans as a step towards reducing its carbon footprint.

    “Amazon has demonstrated its leadership in adopting low carbon technologies at scale,” said Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe. “We’re excited about a future of decarbonized delivery services.”

    The e-commerce company says it expects to run on 100-per-cent renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of its original target date.

    It has also invested in nature-based solutions and reforestation projects around the world from its $100 million Right Now Climate Fund.

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  • Amazon will reportedly hold a multi-day sales event in June with steep discounts

    Amazon will reportedly hold a multi-day sales event in June with steep discounts

    A new CNBC report suggests that Amazon will be hosting a summer sale on June 22 that will last seven to ten days. The event, which is apparently being called the “Biggest Sale in the Sky,” is not a Prime Day substitute. The Prime Day will still reportedly take place, but at a later date, sometime in September.

    Amazon has seemingly started contacting sellers regarding a ‘Fashion Summer Sale Event,’ which implies its scope might be limited to fashion, beauty, and home. But then again, if it’s the “Biggest Sale in the Sky,” it should logically include all categories. Participation will presumably be by invitation only.  Amazon was inundated with demand for essentials such as hand sanitizer when the coronavirus crept up. As a result, household items and medical goods became a priority. This caused duress for sellers who dealt in goods outside of those categories.

    With the rumored upcoming sale, sellers will get a chance to clear their inventories. Amazon will likewise get a chance to boost consumer engagement across non-essential categories ahead of the Prime Day.

    Per the report, Amazon wants sellers to submit discounts of at least 30 percent by tomorrow. The company is also supposedly finalizing the landing page.

    It is not clear yet if the sale is only from Prime Day members. However, if Prime Day is still going to happen, it is likely that the summer sale will be open to everyone.

    Amazon’s operations have been slowly returning to normalcy. The summer sale would give the e-commerce company a chance to win back consumers who shifted to other outlets during the pandemic because of longer shipping times and product shortages.

    There is also a threat that if Amazon doesn’t hold an event in lieu of the Prime Day, competitors would scoop up the opportunity to capture an audience that has grown accustomed to Amazon’s summer sale.

    The company is reportedly on the precipice of losing market share. Stats already show that rivals Target and Walmart witnessed a double-digit increase in sales during the last quarter.

    A good old sale is surely what it needs to rev up demand and inform customers that it’s business as usual again.

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  • Amazon is making Alexa even more powerful with a slew of new features

    Amazon is making Alexa even more powerful with a slew of new features

    When it comes to smart speakers, Amazon dominates the US market with its Alexa-powered Echo devices. According to a report published early this year by eMarketer, nearly 70% of US smart speaker users will own an Echo in 2020, down from 73% last year.

    The more reason for Amazon to continue to improve Alexa, its personal digital assistant powering many home devices in the United States. Amazon announced recently a host of new features that are now available in Alexa or will be in the coming weeks. Here are some of the most important new Alexa features recently introduced by Amazon:

    • Drop In for all of your devices – customers can now use group Drop In to instantly connect all of their Echo devices into a group conversation. Simply say, “Alexa, drop in on all devices” to start an audio intercom call to have conversations like “what should we have for dinner?” or “does anyone want anything from grocery store?”
    • Reminders on all devices – customers in the U.S. can now set reminders to play across all their Alexa devices, a frequently requested feature. In the Alexa app, customers can choose “All devices” when creating an individual reminder or enable the feature for all reminders by going to Settings > Reminders and opting into “Announce on all devices.”
    • Photo sharing and reactions – you can easily share photos with your Alexa contacts from your Echo Show and the Alexa app. Now, when someone shares a photo with you, you can send a reaction back by choosing one of three animated emoji options, including “laugh,” “love,” and “wow.”
    • Daily Music Pick – Amazon Music revealed Daily Music Pick, a new Alexa feature in which artists provide customers with daily music recommendations. Just say “Alexa, play the Daily Music Pick” and each day a new artist will select a song, album, or playlist that they’ve been enjoying at home.

    Besides these new features, Amazon announced that Echo Auto is making its way to Australia and that Alexa is now available for Volkswagen Golf 8 owners in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Also, Lenovo Smart Tab M10 FHD Plus (2nd Gen) and Sonos Arc, a new premium smart soundbar launching on June 10, will be getting Alexa built-in.

  • Amazon plans buying JC Penney and change retailing forever

    Amazon plans buying JC Penney and change retailing forever

    Amazon has been tipped to take over collapsed US department-store giant JC Penney in a move that could redefine the nature of US retailing. According to an exclusive report in WWD, Amazon has a team of senior management and consultants at JC Penney’s Texas headquarters going through the numbers and the store portfolio.

    And while JC Penney says it is planning to permanently shutter 245 of its 846 stores across the country as part of a restructure under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Amazon may take over as much as the entire fleet.

    Amazon has made no official comment on its plans with the news leaked by people with close knowledge of the proceedings. That makes all of the following commentary speculation. But here’s how JC Penney may look after a takeover…

    The Seattle-based company already dominates the US e-commerce market with a market share of around 49 percent. Small businesses across the US reportedly sell some 4000 items every minute on the platform.  However, as a digital-native company, Amazon has very little physical presence in the form of brick-and-mortar stores. It bought the upmarket Whole Foods grocery chain in 2017 which it has now expanded to 500 stores in the US and it also developed a high-tech, small-format hybrid grocery-convenience store model called Amazon Go which now numbers 26 outlets.

    If Amazon was to buy JC Penney, it is hard to see the brand name enduring. Analysts estimate, on average, that Amazon has cash reserves of around US$43.7 billion, so buying the business, taking over the properties and completely reformatting stores would be a lesser challenge cost-wise than for any other retailer.

    The vast majority of JC Penney stores anchor shopping malls, many of which are struggling to retain footfall and have relatively short life expectancies, worsened in a post-Covid-19 world where social distancing is likely to endure until a vaccine is found or the coronavirus dies out of its own accord.

    Amazon could potentially convert the JC Penney stores into a tech-driven, hybrid model of fulfilment centre and retail showcase. This would give its online customers a place to view goods in a truly omnichannel business model similar to what traditional brick-and-mortar retailers around the world – and e-commerce giants like Alibaba and JD in China – have been trying to develop during the latter half of the last decade.

    Many of the JC Penney stores are larger than they need to be, so Amazon is likely to hand back some of the space to landlords, a palatable solution to property owners who would have serious doubts about JC Penney’s ability to survive and continue paying rent long term and very few other opportunities to replace them with another anchor tenant. Some of the unwanted retail space could be kept and converted to storing stock, allowing faster delivery promises to online shoppers.

    New Whole Foods stores could be opened and Amazon could sublease spaces to selected retail partners, including – for example – the Seattle’s Best Coffee which already has cafes in many JC Penney stores.

    JC Penney also has its own warehouse and logistics systems which Amazon could absorb into its own.

    One source told WWD that Amazon was interested in JC Penney for its strength in apparel in both range and brands. “I’m told it has a lot to do with Amazon eager to expand its apparel business — for sure,” the unnamed source said.

    For now, this is all speculation, but it seems to be reliable information that Amazon executives are in “dialogue” with the stricken retailer.

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  • Starhub, Amazon Prime strike new membership deal for subscribers

    Starhub, Amazon Prime strike new membership deal for subscribers

    StarHub has become the first info-communications company in Singapore to offer Amazon Prime membership to its entire mobile customer base, including no-contract SIM Only and prepaid customers.

    StarHub is home to more than 40 unique channels, amassing diverse entertainment programming of over 160 ‘live’ and on-demand channels in total. In collaboration with Amazon following the launch of its Singapore marketplace Amazon.sg, StarHub now enables its mobile customers to enjoy the full range of Amazon Prime membership benefits, from fast, free delivery on millions of items on Amazon.sg and Prime Now, to unlimited streaming of Amazon Original series, popular movies and hit TV shows on Prime Video, as well as access to free games and in-game loot on Twitch Prime. The Amazon Prime membership is available at S$2.99 per month.

    “We are reaffirming our #HelloChange commitment in 2020 to deliver to customers the best experience and transparent offers without a contract,” said Johan Buse, Chief of Consumer Business Group, StarHub. “Offering innovative digital lifestyle services with best-in-class businesses enhances our customers’ experience, and we are delighted to announce this collaboration with Amazon Singapore. First, to offer Amazon Prime membership for all StarHub Mobile customers, we enable them to enjoy the best of Amazon’s shopping and entertainment options on Singapore’s fastest mobile network.”

    “We are pleased to collaborate with StarHub to offer Amazon Prime membership to more people in Singapore,” said Henry Low, Country Manager, Amazon Singapore. “We welcome StarHub customers to experience the many benefits of Amazon Prime, including exclusive shopping deals on items they love most on Amazon.sg and Prime Now, free and fast delivery on millions of products, unlimited streaming of movies and TV series on Prime Video, and a wide selection of free games on Twitch Prime.”

    All StarHub Mobile customers will enjoy a three-month Amazon Prime membership on StarHub when they get a new #HelloChange two-year or no-contract SIM Only plan. Existing customers can also enjoy the same offer by renewing their two-year plans or upgrading to the abovementioned plans.

    After the renewal or sign-up is complete, customers can simply activate their Amazon Prime membership through the My StarHub app. Following the three-month period, the Amazon Prime membership is available at $2.99 per month, which will be charged to their StarHub Mobile bill.

    Additionally, StarHub also launched a new prepaid data plan with Amazon Prime. The data plan is called ‘600MB with Amazon Prime’ and offers prepaid customers four weeks of Amazon Prime membership and 600MB of data for $6.

    These customers can conveniently extend their Amazon Prime membership by buying the same data plan through the StarHub Prepaid app. Customers who need more data can add on other plans, from as low as $3 for 1GB to options that offer free data usage on Sundays.

    Amazon Prime members in Singapore can enjoy three main benefits as part of their membership; shopping and delivery, entertainment and gaming. For shopping and delivery, members will enjoy a free one-day local delivery with no minimum purchase on Amazon.sg’s domestic Prime eligible selection, free international delivery on millions of eligible items from Amazon US on Amazon.sg for orders over S$60, free two-hour delivery for tens of thousands of items, including groceries and household essentials on Prime Now, for orders above S$40 and 30 minutes early access to Prime eligible lightning deals and exclusive access to special shopping deals and events before other customers.

    In terms of entertainment, Amazon Prime members can stream or download Amazon Originals, popular movies and TV shows on Amazon Prime Video, including critically acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Originals such as Carnival Row, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Good Omens, Mirzapur, Made in Heaven, Inside Edge and more. There is also a range of content for the whole family including Pete the Cat, Just Add Magic, and Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny. Prime Video is available via the Prime Video app on select smart TVs, mobile devices, tablets, game consoles, Apple TV, Chromecast, or online at PrimeVideo.com. In the Prime Video app, users can download all episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video also offers exclusive X-Ray functionality. Powered by IMDb, X-Ray uses authoritative data that gives users instant access to cast photos, bios and filmographies, and soundtrack info related to your TV shows and movies while you watch, right on the screen.

    Lastly, a selection of free games every month, exclusive in-game loot, and a free channel subscription on Twitch.tv will also be offered in the membership.

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  • Amazon India to use mom-and-pop shops as delivery points

    Amazon India to use mom-and-pop shops as delivery points

    Global online retailer Amazon has partnered with more than 20,000 local “kirana” stores in India to serve as delivery points.

    The move is part of the firm’s “I Have Space” program to build relationships with such stores in 350 Tier 1, 2 and 3 cities within the territory. It reflects competitor Flipkart’s recent investment in its ShadowFax network of neighborhood stores.

    “We believe the recent partnerships are expected to drive Amazon’s momentum across the country’s shoppers and mom-and-pop shops,” read a report by stock research firm Zacks. “Consequently, this will bolster the company’s presence in the retail space of India, which holds immense prospects.”

    Local stores stand to benefit from the initiative from the extra income they may receive as Amazon’s delivery partners.

    The Zacks report notes that Amazon’s stocks have returned just 14.2 percent over the past year, well below the industry’s rally of 22.4 percent.

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  • Indian authorities investigate e-commerce giants over anti-trust accusations

    Indian authorities investigate e-commerce giants over anti-trust accusations

    Bezos, whose worth has been estimated at more than $110 billion, is officially in India for a meeting of business leaders in New Delhi.

    But the Competition Commission of India announced Monday that it was investigating Amazon and its main rival in the domestic market, the Walmart-owned Flipkart, over accusations they had killed off small businesses by favoring “preferred sellers” on their platforms.

    Media reports said Bezos has sought a meeting with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but neither the government nor Amazon would confirm if talks would be held.

    Amazon has said it will cooperate with the investigation and was “confident” it was operating legally.

    But traders across India said they would stage protests during the visit to demand the government takes action against Amazon.

    The merchants accuse Amazon and Flipkart of flouting foreign investment rules and pouring billions of dollars into discounts that force traditional traders out of business.

    Flipkart was Indian owned until bought by Walmart for $16 billion in 2018 following a bidding war with Amazon.

    The Confederation of All India Traders, which says it represents 70 million small businesses, vowed “strong protests” in 300 cities — including New Delhi, where Bezos was to speak on Wednesday at the Amazon business summit.

    The competition commission said it will report in 60 days, but its inquiries normally take a lot longer.

    Last year it fined Google $21 million for “search bias” and abusing its dominant position.

    After arriving Tuesday, Bezos paid tribute to India’s independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, dressing in an Indian kurta to lay flowers at a memorial in Delhi.

    He described Gandhi in a Twitter message as someone who “truly changed the world”.

    Bezos will also visit India’s financial capital Mumbai, where he will reportedly attend a party with Bollywood celebrities on Thursday evening.

    Since its launch in India in 2016, the company’s streaming platform Amazon Prime has partnered with the who’s who of Bollywood to produce entertainment content in several Indian languages.

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  • Amazon India To Have 10,000 Electric Vehicles In Its Delivery Fleet By 2025

    Amazon India To Have 10,000 Electric Vehicles In Its Delivery Fleet By 2025

    Amazon India said that it will induct about 10,000 electric vehicles in its delivery fleet in the country. The e-commerce giant says that the idea is to reduce its carbon footprint in the country in accordance to the Climate Pledge that Amazon has signed. As part of the pledge, Amazon announced its plans to introduce 10,000 EVs into its delivery fleet globally in 2022 and one lakh vehicles by 2030, saving 4 million metric tonnes of carbon per year by 2030. Amazon had already begun an EV pilot project in a few cities across India and the learnings from the pilot project has helped the company to have a scalable and a long term EV delivery fleet by 2025. Amazon India announced this right after Amazon President and CEO, Jeff Bezos made a trip to India and announced an investment of $ 1 billion and creation of 1 million jobs by 2025.

    “The fleet of 10,000 EVs-including three-wheeler and four-wheeler vehicles-has been designed and manufactured by original equipment manufacturers in India,” the company said in a statement. The company has been working with a few Indian companies in order to ready a fleet of electric vehicles in its delivery fleet to ensure that last mile deliveries are sustainable. The government’s focus to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles in the country, and steps towards setting up of charging infrastructure with the FAME II policy, has helped the company accelerate and chart its vision for EVs in India, it added.

    “At Amazon India, we are committed to building a supply chain that will minimize the environmental impact of our operations,” Akhil Saxena, vice president for customer fulfillment (Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets) at Amazon, said in a statement.

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  • Reliance Industries taking on Amazon in India

    Reliance Industries taking on Amazon in India

    Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries is moving to take on Amazon in India by founding a new digital retail platform.

    The firm, led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, has of late been engaged in testing to refine its new online shopping portal JioMart, which is expected to list more than 50,000 grocery items. Select customers who pre-register have been offered free home delivery and no-questions-asked return policy.

    The service will initially only operate within three neighborhoods in the vicinity of Mumbai, taking on both e-commerce market leaders within the territory, Amazon and Flipkart.

    Ambani has recently made several investments outside Reliance’s core industrial businesses, including telecommunications and retail acquisitions that are projected to account for 50 percent of the firm’s profits within a few years. He has previously spoken of ambitions to totally transform India’s unorganized retail market.

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