Boost Rural Women Entrepreneurship via E-commerce

• Partnership will provide women entrepreneurs with essential tools, resources, and training to succeed in the digital ecommerce ecosystem
• Aiming to foster inclusivity and drive economic growth within rural communities, Amazon India and GAME will collaborate to empower 25k+ women entrepreneurs across India

Bangalore, Feb 22^nd, 2024:  Amazon India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ‘Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME), to collaborate and promote digital growth of women entrepreneurs in India, especially in Tier-2, Tier-3 cities and beyond. Through this partnership, Amazon India will aim to support approximately 25,000 women entrepreneurs and artisans in their digital entrepreneurial journey. GAME is providing inputs in business capacity building, bridging digital marketing skill gaps and enabling them to aggregate as collected brands. With the objective of creating platform access and enabling financial independence for rural women entrepreneurs and artisans, this initiative will provide the necessary support and resources for them to thrive in the digital landscape.

The MOU between Amazon India and GAME aims to co-develop and facilitate broad-based entrepreneurship to accelerate and sustain the growth of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India. Amazon Karigar & Saheli will offer workshops/training, onboarding and AM support for sellers involved in this entrepreneurship without any financial investment.. This aligns with Amazon's commitment to bolster India's economy and create millions of sustainable jobs by 2030, through partnerships within the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Further, women entrepreneurs will be provided with hands-on training and support on digital marketing initiatives, performance marketing, product listing optimization, and advertising techniques, equipping them to adapt to current and future trends in the digital marketplace. Additionally, they will gain access to valuable data-driven insights and metrics get better knowledge on customer behaviour and market trends.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Gaurav Bhatnagar Head of Seller Acquisition and Development at Amazon India said, “It is truly inspiring to witness women entrepreneurs nationwide harnessing the power e-commerce to build and grow their business. Through innovative products, they are catering to customer preferences and establishing scalable enterprises that contribute significantly to societal well-being and economy. We are honored to be a catalyst in their entrepreneurial journey through our Saheli program. Our steadfast commitment lies in facilitating worldwide customer access, thereby empowering these women to realize their full potential in the dynamic landscape of Digital India.”

Sharing his views on this occasion, Mr. Ketul Acharya, President, Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship, “We are delighted to have partnered with Amazon for the Saheli program. GAME's Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) program seeks to enable women entrepreneurs by enhancing their livelihood opportunities and connecting them with diverse platforms and economic partners. Through this partnership, WEE at GAME is supporting Amazon in solving large-scale ecosystem challenges to women's economic empowerment with access to training in the digital marketplace as well as research and data about access to new markets."

Amazon launched its special program for women entrepreneurs, ‘Amazon Saheli’ in 2017, which seeks to bring to the fore locally made products from women entrepreneurs and local women owned businesses in India. As part of this initiative, Amazon works with partners and woman entrepreneurs to drive digitization and to provide requisite tools to woman entrepreneurs to enable them to become successful in their digital endeavours. Since its inception, Saheli has digitized over 1.8 million rural, hyperlocal and urban women-led businesses through its partner network, selling selection of products such as apparel, jewellery, groceries, on the ecommerce marketplace. The products are sourced from different (NGOs) across India. More than 80,000+ women artisans are involved in this partnership and benefit from it. The artisans produce and sell these products to support their livelihoods.

Amazon India has provided numerous opportunities for women across its ecosystem, including Seller Partners, Operations Network Partners, Community Beneficiaries, Employees, and Associates, all of whom play crucial roles in positively impacting Amazon's diverse customer base throughout the country. The company has made significant strides in introducing various benefits, programs, and initiatives to empower women both within and outside its organization. These efforts reflect Amazon's dedication to women's empowerment and its unwavering commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within its ecosystem culture, thereby enhancing the overall Amazon experience.

In reaffirmation of its commitment to women's empowerment, Amazon India launches the third edition of the #SheIsAmazon campaign on the occasion of the 49th International Women’s Day, under the theme #InspireInclusion. This campaign highlights 49 distinct programs, initiatives, and benefits implemented by various entities within Amazon to empower women both within and beyond the company. These initiatives have played a significant role in advancing women's professional journeys and stand as symbols of Amazon's dedication to their empowerment.

About Amazon:
The Amazon.in marketplace is operated by Amazon Seller Services Private Ltd, an affiliate of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN). Amazon.in seeks to build the most customer-centric online destination for customers to find and discover virtually anything they want to buy online by giving them more of what they want – vast selection, competitive prices, fast and reliable delivery, and a trusted and convenient experience; and provide sellers with a world-class e-commerce marketplace.

For more information, visit www.amazon.in/aboutus

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About Amazon:
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

About Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship (GAME):
GAME intends to unlock the potential of Mass Entrepreneurship (ME) in India. Three prolific entrepreneurs, Ravi Venkatesan, Madan Padaki, and Mekin Maheshwari, started GAME in August 2018 as a backbone organisation that aligns the ecosystem and mobilises action to address systemic challenges to job creation in India. GAME intends to bring together a cross-section of alliances, partners, funders, and other players in the ecosystem who can help inspire an entrepreneurial movement across the country. Its mission is to catalyse an India-wide movement of mass entrepreneurship for the growth of both existing and new enterprises, resulting in 50 million new jobs by 2030, where women own 25% of the businesses. To know more, please visit: https://massentrepreneurship.org/

For more information, contact:

Neeti Dhawan                                                             Elita Sequeira
Amazon India                                                              Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship 
neetd@amazon.com                                                   elita@massentrepreneurship.org