Amazon’s “Digital Kendras” will serve as walk-in locations where micro, small, and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) can learn about the benefits of e-commerce and take advantage of a variety of third-party services such as shipping and logistics, cataloging assistance, digital marketing services, GST and taxation support to help them get started on their path to becoming digital entrepreneurs.

Going digital, according to Amazon, is a sustainable method for MSMEs to get back on their feet, according to Manish Tiwary, vice president of Amazon India, having the comfort of a physical location can only help MSMEs gain the necessary confidence.

Tiwary also said that Amazon India’s “Global Selling” initiative had enabled Indian SMEs to export $1 billion in shipments in the previous year. Since January 2020, Amazon India has onboarded over 300,000 sellers out of a total of 850,000 sellers. Tiwary stated that Amazon India currently has over 100,000 sellers in Gujarat.

This is a serious effort to bring the necessary tools, support, and service infrastructure closer to MSMEs’ locations so that they may profit from e-commerce. “Amazon Digital Kendra will assist SMEs to develop their businesses via technology adoption, and will play an even bigger role in the restoration and expansion of the Indian economy,” said Amit Agarwal, Senior Vice President, and Country Head, Amazon India.

Amazon India plans to create more similar resource centres in the country based on the response to its first “Digital Kendra.”

During Jeff Bezos’ visit to India last year, the firm declared three major commitments: to digitally enable 10 million MSMEs, facilitate $10 billion in eCommerce exports, and will generate 1 million new employment in India between 2020 and 2025.

So far, the firm claims to have digitized 2.5 million MSMEs, facilitated $3 billion in exports, and assisted in the creation of roughly 1 million employment in India. Since January 2020, 300,000 direct and indirect employment have been created.