Amazon India to empower over 62,000 women entrepreneurs

More than 62,000 women entrepreneurs in the country will get a boost through the partnership of Amazon India, Mann Deshi Foundation and Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE). Aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs associated with these notable organisations, Amazon India will support these women to sell their products on Amazon.in.

"In line with our vision to transform how India buys and sells, we launched 'Amazon Saheli' last year to focus and address challenges faced by Indian women entrepreneurs and help them gain visibility and access to resources. We are excited to partner with organisations such as Mann Deshi and COWE, who share the same vision of supporting women entrepreneurs and help them become more economically robust," Gopal Pillai, director & GM, seller services, Amazon India said.

Launched last year in November with SEWA and Impulse Social Enterprise, Amazon Saheli currently has over 900 products such as kurtis, sarees, dupattas listed by women entrepreneurs.

Through the program, Amazon will be conducting extensive training and skill development workshops for its partners to help women entrepreneurs understand nuances related to online selling and, develop skills and capabilities necessary to grow their business on Amazon.in.

The training workshops will comprise of sessions on listing of products, imaging and cataloging, packaging and shipping, inventory and account management and customer service to name a few. The workshops will be free, and will offer several exclusive benefits including assisted onboarding and mentorship programs.

"We have always believed that access to finance isn’t the only factor for success. Building business skills and access to markets unlocks the true potential of rural women entrepreneurs. Mann Deshi Foundation is happy to join hands with Amazon India to train and enable our women entrepreneurs to sell online and boost their businesses through Amazon Saheli," Chetna Gala Sinha, founder, Mann Deshi Foundation said.

"We are happy to collaborate with Amazon India for helping women entrepreneurs explore the arena of e-commerce. This partnership will help our members showcase and sell their products to the massive and loyal Amazon customer base across the country," Sandhya Reddy, national vice president, COWE.