Amazon claims bumper festive season sales this year, hints at more investments in India

Amazon India’s aggressive push in Indian market worked out in its favour and October was indeed a testimony to it. Amazon India claimed it sold more products than ever during the festive season sales during October. Amazon India said sale of its products tripled as compared to the festive season last year.

In this backdrop, the bumper festive sales has made Amazon India more confident about its resolve to keep investing in India aggressively.

"We have already committed at least $5 billion (to the India business) and that's just the beginning... This is very early for ecommerce in India," Amazon India country head Amit Agarwal told ET.

Despite its loss, Amazon India top selling products and services were in categories such as consumer electronics, fashion and consumables, as well as membership to the Prime service. The appliances category grew 11 times, whereas luxury and beauty segment saw a whopping 46-fold increase.

The company reported selling more than 15 million units in the first phase of its Great Indian Sale (October 1-5), a three-fold increase over its five-day sales event last year. Rival company Flipkart reported selling 15.5 million in the first phase of its Big Billion Day sale (October 2-6) including its fashion website Myntra. Amazon India didn’t disclose the numbers for the next two phase of its festive season as the company said that it didn’t want to make bogus comparisons.

"Even if the numbers given (by Flipkart) in the first wave were true, then in the worst case we have caught up (with it) in three years and are growing at 2.7 times as compared to last year," Agarwal told ET.

Amazon had reported a loss of $541 million in its international business for the quarter ended September, most of it because it was trying to grab as many as customers to maintain its second spot and close in the gap with Flipkart.
(image:indiatimes)