Ahead of Prime Day, Amazon India today announced the launch of ‘Multi-Seller Flex’ (MSF) to enable sellers from tier 2 and below towns to earn a Prime badge for their listings.
Sellers using MSF will benefit from this launch with access to millions of Prime members. Multi-Seller Flex sites are fulfillment centers operated by authorized third-party service providers (Local Entrepreneurs). As part of the program, Amazon.in partners with local entrepreneurs to provide sellers with storage for their inventory and processing of customer orders while Amazon will provide shipping and logistics support for seller shipments.
With this launch, sellers can engage with local entrepreneurs to send their products to the nearest MSF site and make them available to customers across the country. Using the nearest MSF will enable sellers to save on transportation costs associated with sending products to the Amazon Fulfilment Centres (FCs) outside their city. Small sellers who require support in storing their inventory and processing customer orders will benefit from this program. Thousands of sellers from about 100 tier-2 and below towns like Kottayam, Panipat, Nellore, Valsad, Hisar among many more are already using MSF and will be participating during the upcoming Prime Day on July 26 and 27, 2021.
“With a higher number of sellers joining e-commerce from tier 2 and below cities, we are partnering with third-party service providers who can benefit from the revenues they earn for owning and operating Multi-Seller Flex sites, to enable sellers from tier 2 and below to access Amazon Prime benefits to sell to customers across the country.
The launch of MSF will also reduce the time to launch sellers’ products on the marketplace significantly and will also help in eliminating significant operational costs. These benefits can help support and drive the digitization of SMBs that seek to access and service a wide customer base through the online marketplace,” said Srikant Sreeram, Director, Seller Flex at Amazon India.
“This launch will enable Amazon to offer customers a wider Prime selection and faster deliveries for Prime members, while enabling entrepreneurship and creation of thousands of indirect jobs in tier 2 and below geographies,” he added.
“The Multi-Seller Flex program has allowed us to secure a Prime badge for our products. This program has resulted in faster deliveries to customers – which in turn has increased the number of orders we receive. Having an MSF site in Kottayam has limited operational costs associated with transporting and warehousing, enabling us to earn higher profits. In addition, having Amazon’s world-class logistics and support network to manage deliveries has allowed us to focus on product innovation, while our other business processes run seamlessly,” said Shruti K Prince, Proprietor, Raintech Online Store.
The local entrepreneurs also benefit from this program as they can generate additional revenue streams while playing an integral role in creating greater awareness and understanding of e-commerce. The local entrepreneurs will also have the option to expand their business by joining other Amazon programs like Amazon Easy to provide assisted shopping experience to customers or set up Amazon Digital Kendra – a brick and mortar resource center to provide micro small and medium enterprises with the opportunity to learn about benefits of e-commerce and avail a range of third party services such as shipping and logistics support, cataloguing assistance, digital marketing services, GST and taxation support.
“Partnering with Amazon India to set up a Multi-Seller Flex site has allowed me to earn an additional source of income and support a team of 10 individuals. As an MSF operator, I have been able to support small businesses around Madurai and Tirunelveli to sell their products across the country, creating jobs and supporting the local economy. It is humbling to witness the impact of this program in the lives of other individuals residing in Madurai,” said Chandru, Managing Partner, Abirami Logistics.
This Prime Day, over 100 Small and Medium Business including Startups and brands, women entrepreneurs, artisans, and weavers are launching more than 2,400 new products across categories and 75,000+ local neighbourhood offline shops on Amazon that will make their Prime Day debut. Amazon will continue its efforts to empower and support lakhs of Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) to bounce back from the economic disruption and help generate customer demand for products offered by lakhs of sellers, manufacturers, start-ups, and brands, women entrepreneurs, artisans & weavers, and local shops.
