- Online retail giant seeks to widen its reach and take on rivals
Bengaluru: Online retail giant Amazon launched an online pharmacy in India to serve the city of Bengaluru, in a bid to widen its reach.
The initiative comes as online drugs business got a major boost during the coronavirus pandemic and offers prescription, over-the-counter and traditional Ayurveda medication as well as basic health devices.
The service, Amazon Pharmacy, will soon offer deliveries across the city, Amazon said.
The e-commerce giant started its move into pharmaceutical retailing in 2017.
India has seen billions of dollars of investment by US technology giants recently.
Earlier this year, Amazon’s chief executive Jeff Bezos pledged to make major investments in India.
Amazon had decided to open 10 new warehouses in India last month and has also started offering auto insurance.
It had also secured clearance for alcohol delivery in the Indian state of West Bengal, Reuters reported in June.
In May, Amazon entered India’s meal delivery business with a trial in four parts of Bengaluru.
Last month, Google became the latest big American player to invest in Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries’ digital business.
“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, legal head of South Chemists and Distributors Association in New Delhi, told Reuters.
The group will raise objections against Amazon’s move with the government, he said.