Amazon India launches B2B marketplace for SMEs

Two years after Amazon India launched Amazonbusiness.in under its wholesale India arm, the e-commerce major has launched a pure-play B2B marketplace Amazon Business on Amazon.in. It will enable small and medium businesses to procure products through the platform.

The platform is registered under the main entity Amazon Seller Services.

"We recognised the need to help both buyers and sellers in the B2B space. Our sellers would share difficulties in procuring product for their own business," said Manish Tiwary, vice president for category management at Amazon India.

He added that the B2B marketplace will have over 100 million products across all categories. With this marketplace, a shopkeeper in Ladakh can buy products from a manufacturer in Coimbatore. "We are likely to see a lot of traction coming from electronics. Other categories we expect a huge demand for are industrial products and stationery.”

The company plans to leverage its current infrastructure, especially the SellerFlex programme, wherein the sellers sell from their own warehouses. The B2B business will ensure free shipping on eligible purchases for business customers as well as doorstep delivery.

Small companies can register with the new platform with their GST number and be entitled to input tax credit.

"With this launch, we now have a fully functional B2B marketplace alongside our thriving B2C marketplace to enable the same benefits for business buyers," said Tiwary.

Amazon Business was launched in the US in April 2015, and serves more than one million businesses customers. It has been extended to Germany (December 2016), the UK (April 2017) and Japan (September 2017) as well.