Amazon mentioned on Friday it would launch an internet pharmacy in India that may serve the town of Bengaluru, the newest transfer by the e-commerce large to widen its attain in a key progress market.
The service, “Amazon Pharmacy”, will supply each over-the-counter and prescription-based medication, primary well being units and conventional Indian natural medicines, the corporate mentioned in an announcement, with out giving a timeline for the launch.
The transfer comes amid rising competitors in India with rivals Walmart-owned Flipkart, billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s upstart on-line grocery service JioMart and a spread of different smaller gamers.
Last month, the corporate determined to open 10 new warehouses in India and begin providing auto insurance coverage. Amazon had additionally secured clearance for alcohol supply in a single Indian state, Reuters reported in June.
India is but to finalise rules for on-line drug gross sales, or e-pharmacies, however the progress of a number of on-line sellers corresponding to Medlife, Netmeds, Temasek-backed PharmEasy, and Sequoia Capital-backed 1mg has threatened conventional drug shops.
The firms have mentioned they adjust to all Indian legal guidelines whilst many dealer teams proceed to protest in opposition to e-pharmacies, saying that might result in sale of medicines with out correct verification.
“Amazon’s customer base is very high, so we are bound to lose business. There are 5 million families dependent on this (offline) trade,” Yash Aggarwal, authorized head of South Chemists and Distributors Association in New Delhi, mentioned on Friday.
The group will increase objections in opposition to Amazon’s transfer with the federal government, he mentioned.
© Thomson Reuters 2020
This post was last modified on August 14, 2020 12:24 pm