Amazon is expanding its ultra-fast service, Amazon Now, to over 300 Indian cities to build the country's largest delivery-in-minutes network. The company also announced 'Sammaan', a welfare program for its tens of thousands of delivery associates.
Major Expansion in Quick Commerce
Amazon plans to build the country's largest delivery-in-minutes network by expanding its ultra-fast service, Amazon Now, to more than 300 cities across India. The expansion aims to scale up specialized fulfillment infrastructure to offer tens of thousands of products delivered within minutes or a few hours.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy highlighted the rapid growth of the micro-fulfillment model during his visit to a facility in Mumbai. "It's our fastest-growing ecommerce business unit in India and we're expanding to 300+ cities as part of our plan to build the country's largest delivery-in-minutes network. And what we've learned building it here is now helping us scale it across the U.S. and around the world," Jassy said.
The quick-commerce segment has emerged as the fastest-growing e-commerce business unit in the history of the company's India operations. According to a company statement, order volumes for the service doubled every quarter since its official launch. The service is currently available to over 50 million customers across 15 metro and non-metro cities, including Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Amritsar, and Kochi.
"Great to be in India and visit an Amazon Now micro-fulfillment center in one of the busiest areas of Mumbai," Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stated on X. "The things you need quickly--groceries, shampoo, baby products, and more--get picked and delivered just minutes after ordered. Customers are loving it... Prime members triple their shopping frequency once they start using it, and we've seen orders double every quarter since launch," Jassy stated.
Expanding Infrastructure and Product Selection
The company plans to increase its network of micro-fulfillment centers and urban fulfillment centers to accommodate a broader selection of daily essentials. The expanded inventory will include groceries, fresh produce, frozen food, personal care items, fashion, beauty products, small appliances, and home utilities.
Aside from ultra-fast deliveries, the infrastructure upgrade will support the delivery of one million products within the same day and four million products by the next day.
Focus on Delivery Associate Welfare
Alongside the logistics expansion, the company announced 'Sammaan', a dedicated welfare program for tens of thousands of delivery associates within its Indian logistics network. The initiative receives funding from a recently announced USD 300 million investment allocated for operations and associate well-being. The program includes educational scholarships for the children of associates, financial inclusion programs, comprehensive insurance coverage, and on-road safety measures.
"Amazon Now is the fastest-growing ecommerce business unit in Amazon India's history with orders having doubled every quarter since launch," Samir Kumar, Country Manager, Amazon India, said in a statement. "We are seeing a great response from customers. We have further accelerated our expansion and will offer ultra-fast deliveries to customers in over 300 cities of India," Kumar said.
Expansion of 'Ashray' Rest Centers
The welfare program also outlines the expansion of air-conditioned 'Ashray' rest centers to 250 locations across the country this year. These rest facilities remain open to any delivery driver in the logistics industry, regardless of their company affiliation.
"None of this is possible without our delivery associates who are at the heart of our ecommerce and quick commerce business, and I am excited as we launch 'Sammaan', a dedicated program focused on delivery associate welfare," Kumar stated.
"It is our promise that as we grow faster, the people powering that speed grow with us, with better health and wellness, education support for their families, and a safer working environment every day," Kumar added. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)