Amazon lauds new labour codes, says to scale up India e-commerce exports
E-commerce exports from India through Amazon totaled $20 billion in the decade ending 2025.
“We are encouraged by the government’s continued focus on e-commerce exports and remain committed to supporting Indian sellers and ensuring cumulative e-commerce exports from India reach $80 billion by 2030,” he said. Mint Ahead of the ongoing artificial intelligence summit in New Delhi.
India is key to Amazon’s global export strategy. “We recently surpassed a milestone of $20 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports. And encouraged by this momentum, we increased our target of $80 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports…” he said. “At the same time, we remain one of the nation’s largest job creators, supporting close to 2.8 million direct, indirect, induced and seasonal jobs in 2024 alone. We plan to support 3.8 million jobs by 2030.”
Zapolsky, who is part of Amazon.com Inc.’s senior management, said the company, which recently pledged to help add 1 million jobs in India by 2030, was encouraged by the removal of restrictions in the Union budget proposal. ₹10 lakh cap on courier exports and is committed to supporting Indian sellers in expanding their global footprint.
Compliance and data protection
He said Amazon understands the new regulatory regime under the digital data protection (DPDP) framework and is working to implement its requirements. “We are deeply committed to India and our business priorities are fully aligned with the country’s growth priorities. We understand the necessity and are working on the implementation of the DPDP Rules,” Zapolsky said. he said.
The rules, notified under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 last November, are being implemented in phases, with governance-related provisions already in place and compliance-related provisions valid for a period of one year to 18 months. The law determines the limits of personal data use based on informed consent in the digital economy, imposes obligations on businesses that use it, and provides for a compliance mechanism as well as penalties for violations.
Zapolsky said Amazon is considering necessary changes under the nation’s new labor laws and recognizes that the Social Security Act “is consistent with our existing priorities to provide safety, security and well-being for our employees.”
Under social security law, aggregators are required to contribute 1-2% of their annual turnover (limited to 5% of payments made or payable to gig/platform workers) to a Social Security Fund, which will finance accident insurance, health and maternity benefits and other social assistance schemes. The fund will also receive financial support from the government.
Previously, platform aggregators had no legal obligation to contribute to the social security of platform workers who depended on voluntary programs, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives or assumed the risk themselves, according to a government statement published on December 9.
Export logistics and policy line
On Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget announcement earlier this month on removing the value cap on courier exports, Zapolsky said the move will make e-commerce smoother for Indian sellers.
“Amazon already uses a multi-modal ‘courier mode’, leveraging partners like India Post and Indian Railways for faster customs clearance, automated logistics including Amazon Shipping for third-party sellers, and dedicated channels for cross-border, air and land,” he said. “This change will allow more businesses to ship higher value orders with ease, building on the expansion of export incentives to courier shipments in 2024.”
More exporters may have their way. “Additionally, at the request of Indian exporters, the government is considering a proposal to allow foreign markets to hold stock only for export. Currently, this is not allowed under FDI (foreign direct investment) rules. This will unlock global opportunities for Indian small sellers while reducing their working capital and operational burdens,” Zapolsky said. he added.
digital infrastructure
He said Amazon’s committed investment of over $35 billion in India reflects its long-term belief in the country’s growth and the company’s desire to expand its business in the country through e-commerce and beyond. “This investment is based on three strategic priorities: AI-driven digitalization, export growth and employment creation,” he said.
Zapolsky said Amazon has invested deeply in digital infrastructure, setting up data centers in Maharashtra and Telangana, especially for artificial intelligence, machine learning and next-generation cloud applications.
“We have already helped digitize more than 12 million small businesses, and we are committed to expanding the benefits of AI to 15 million small businesses and hundreds of millions of customers. This includes AI training for four million public school students, because nurturing human capital will be a decisive competitive advantage for AI leadership,” Zapolsky added.
Amazon is committed to bringing the benefits of AI to 15 million small businesses and hundreds of millions of customers, but technology alone does not create value; He said it should solve real problems and be easy to use.
“That’s why we designed our AI tools to be intuitive and actionable. Merchants don’t need technical expertise to benefit; they just use tools built into their existing workflows…” Zapolsky said. “When sellers use our generative AI tools to create listings, they see a 40% increase in overall listing quality, which helps them create content that increases customer engagement and increases sales potential.”
gireesh.p@livemint.com
