As Amazon seeks to take on Flipkart in India, the eCommerce retailer is looking to offer more private label products. The news comes as Flipkart has also sought to focus on its own house brands, Livemint reported.
Amazon India Vice President Manish Tiwary said the company is hoping to launch new product categories, but he would not name specific items. “We have selection gaps in every category … our large vendors on the private labels side, we’ll keep on filling the gaps using them,” Tiwary told Livemint.
Two Amazon executives, who spoke with Livemint anonymously, said the new categories could include large and small appliances.
In the past, Amazon seems to have followed Flipkart’s lead. After Flipkart launched a private smartphone line under the “Billion” name, Amazon released its own, called “Tenor.”
Overall, Amazon has at least five private label brands, such as Symbol and Myx in fashion and apparel. The eCommerce retailer also offers private label products in home appliances and small furniture. In addition, Amazon launched its global private label brand AmazonBasics in India last year.
The news comes as Walmart could be preparing to take its rivalry with Amazon in India to the next level by acquiring a minority stake in Flipkart. Reuters reported that Walmart is in advanced talks with India’s Flipkart, which also happens to be Amazon’s biggest competitor in the country. Anonymous sources said a deal could be completed as early as March. Both Walmart and Flipkart have declined to comment on the matter.
Sources said that as part of the deal, which would involve primary and secondary sales by longstanding investors, Walmart may acquire a 15 to 20 percent stake in Flipkart. In August 2017, Flipkart was valued at $14.2 billion, when SoftBank reportedly bought nearly an 18 percent stake in the company for $2.6 billion.
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