Google, Amazon ready for bigger play in ecommerce market

Online retailer Amazon and global search engine Google are eyeing a big chunk of India’s prospering ecommerce market. They are also keen to set up their centers in India. While Google announced plans of establishing its largest campus outside the US, in Hyderabad, that would be ready by 2019, online retailer Amazon is in the process of developing its 11th and largest fulfillment centre in Hyderabad.

American ecommerce leader, Amazon has already announced plans to invest Rs 1,155 crores to further establish its India presence. The company, in a filing with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) said that it is raising funds through a rights issue to its parent. The funding would be utilised in improving infrastructure and logistics, and technology.

With online shopping picking up pace in India, the third installment of ‘Google’s Online Shopping Festival’ (GOSF) this year garnered bigger hype and interest than the last two years. This year, the organizers also introduced digital walls in various cities where consumers could place orders through their smartphones by scanning the QR codes of the products. As Internet penetration in India is on the rise, the e-commerce sector in the country is likely to witness a growth of over 50 per cent in the next five years, said the recent Economic Survey.