Amazon today inaugurated its fulfilment centre on the outskirts of Kolkata.
A fulfilment centre is basically a warehouse where sellers can stock their products. Sellers will be charged a service charge - basically rent - for putting up their products.
The fulfilment centre here has come up in Sreerampore, some 30-odd km north of the city; and is spread over 83,000 square feet and has a storage capacity of over two lakh cubic feet.
According to Akhil Saxena, Director Operations, Amazon India, the centre will help in faster delivery and disposal of orders. It will currently cater to orders arising out of the eastern and north eastern parts of the country.
"At present we have 100 plus registered sellers with us in the Bengal fulfilment centre," he told media persons.
Amazon at present has 21 fulfilment centres across 10 States that include West Bengal. The other States include Telangana, Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala, Haryana and Gujarat.
The e-commerce player which started operations 27 months back follows the marketplace model. It means sellers who are listed with the e-tailer are able to display and sell their products online. It sells across categories that range from apparels, electronics to gourmet food.
Nearly 50 per cent of its sales are through the mobile application. The remaining are through website.
Kirana Now
The company has also introduced a hyperlocal service "Kirana Now" in Bengaluru under which it has tied up with local kirana shops for delivery of groceries and daily items targeting 90 minutes delivery.
According to Saxena there are no immediate plans to introduce the service across more cities.