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Karan Chugh, Director Operations, Amazon India (right) and Mitranjan Bhaduri, Director, Amazon Business (right)
The screens of Indian consumers are buzzing with ads as Amazon's Great Indian Festival 2025 commenced on September 22 for Amazon Prime members and on September 23 for standard users.
In the days leading up to the sale, Amazon Business hosted a press conference in Mumbai to discuss the new narrative becoming popular in India’s e-commerce market: the dominance of non-metro regions in B2B sales.
Amazon Business is a dedicated B2B (business-to-business) marketplace operating within Amazon’s e-commerce platform. It's a unified marketplace where businesses can access a massive selection of products with specific benefits like GST-compliant invoicing, transparent bulk pricing, and credit facilities.
While Maharashtra is Amazon Business’s largest consumer base in India, it’s not just India’s financial capital that is fuelling this growth.
Non-metro regions such as Kolhapur and Aurangabad lead with a year-on-year growth rate of 71% and 65%, respectively, outperforming metro cities.
Mitranjan Bhaduri, director of Amazon Business, highlighted the state's notable performance, stating, "Our highest share of registered customers nationally is actually from Maharashtra."
He emphasised that this growth is not confined to a single region. "It's not just Mumbai that is leading," he said, "it is happening in all parts of Maharashtra."
In line with the rapid adoption of Amazon’s B2B services, the e-commerce giant has made some heavy investments in its operations in the state. This expansion is timed to accommodate the festive season's expected boom in business purchases, particularly for corporate gifting.
Karan Chugh, director of operations at Amazon India, emphasised the significance of a robust network to support this growth, saying, "With the launch of three new fulfilment centres in Thane, Nagpur, and Pune, bringing our total to six centres in Maharashtra, along with an expanded network of sorting centres and delivery stations and capacity expansion for dedicated B2B operations, we are reinforcing our promise to deliver unmatched value, speed, and convenience to customers and businesses across the state."
According to Amazon, the seller ecosystem in Maharashtra is also thriving, with 1.9 lakh sellers registered on the marketplace from the state. Tier 2 and 3 cities within the state are also experiencing 100% year-on-year growth in crorepati sellers (a seller who has achieved sales of over Rs 1 crore in a year on Amazon).
Bhaduri shared an anecdote of a furniture seller in Maharashtra supplying a large manufacturing giant in remote Orissa and another laptop seller from the state serving one of India's largest airline companies.
"This is what really encourages me," he said, "because we have this network that really breaks down geographical barriers within India. Connecting customers from every part of India to sellers from every part of India".
Amazon has also undertaken a massive expansion drive across its countrywide operations. This includes adding 17 new fulfilment centres, 6 new sorting centres, and 75 new delivery stations to its network. In addition to renting cargo space in passenger flights, Amazon is also using two dedicated cargo planes to ensure the swift delivery of millions of packages.
Additionally, Amazon has a strong 28,000+ network of ‘I Have Space’ stores “that are basically kirana (grocery) stores and small mom-and-pop stores who partner with us to deliver on our behalf to the customers,” notes Chugh.
To support the high demand, Amazon has created 1.5 lakh additional seasonal jobs, and 32% of its operations workforce are women, the largest number outside of North America.
The company has also launched new initiatives for its delivery ecosystem, such as "share centres" that provide air-conditioned rest stops for all delivery associates.
As the Amazon Great Indian Festival progresses, this festive season is not just about individual shopping; it's about businesses of all sizes from every corner of the state leveraging e-commerce for critical procurement decisions, from office upgrades to corporate gifting, proving that the digital revolution is truly a pan-Indian phenomenon.
