Amazon executives are closely monitoring situation in different cities and regions (file)
Amazon.com Inc. will launch its first Prime Day since the coronavirus outbreak later this week in India, changing almost everything retail to navigate the realities of a new era.
Prime Day will get the usual big discounts, hundreds of exclusive products, new launches, and cash back offers. But a deep break from the past, the global retailer will have a virtual operating room instead of a real one, with thousands of employees coordinating sales from their homes and strict hygiene protocols for its armies of packers, sorters and deliverers.
India is a test case for e-commerce pioneer and founder Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world. The US version of Prime Day was rescheduled from its usual location in July, with the new date yet to be announced.
“After many conversations, we have decided to move forward with Prime Day,” said Akshay Sahi, Prime Manager at Amazon India. “Life has to go on. Salespeople have to get back on their feet.”
The fact that Amazon is staging its 48-hour sale despite the pandemic underscores the intense competition in the country’s online retail industry. Seattle-based retailer is battling Flipkart, its giant rival, owned by Walmart Inc., as well as powerful Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd., whose Jio Platforms has launched its grocery delivery service to 200 cities and is growing rapidly in categories such as electronics and clothing.
Flipkart has announced its own Big Savings Day, which clashes with its rival’s dates. Selling events have overlapped for years, vying for the attention of both buyers and sellers on their platforms.
This year’s Amazon event will be devoid of the usual Bollywood dancing and the endless supply of Indian street foods, foot massages and costume parties. Instead, hundreds of employees will plan and coordinate the sale from home, their only virtual respite mood boosters like stand-up comedy and selfie contests.
The critical element is the safety readiness of workers, customers and delivery people, Sahi said. In-person training has been suspended and new employees are being trained through apps. There will be no regular standing meetings at the start of each shift. Instead, it will be whiteboard communication. Work and break hours have been staggered to more evenly distribute attendance in cafeterias and common areas. Marks on the floor will prevent loaders and sorters from getting too close to each other.
The online retailer said it has made more than a hundred process changes to its buildings, spelling out new rules for face coverings and daily temperature checks. Hand cleaning is mandatory at least eight times during a shift. Even the slightest sign of high temperature forces a worker to stay home for three days. When a delivery man arrives at a customer’s door, he must ring the doorbell and then back up a few meters.
India’s Prime Day program bypassed the Shraad fortnight in early September, where Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. The sale could not be scheduled later due to the start of the festival season which culminates with the celebration of lights, Diwali, in mid-November, marking the peak of spending and gifts in India.
This year, 10 new distribution centers were opened to meet new demand, more than 50,000 temporary workers were hired, and cargo capacity was provided by local airlines IndiGo and SpiceJet Ltd.
Amazon executives are closely monitoring the situation in different cities and regions, coordinating with local governments on additional security measures. The Prime Day experience in India underscored the need for adjustments in the era of the pandemic and should prove useful for similar efforts elsewhere.
“Our technology provides real-time visibility as neighborhoods become containment zones or cities are locked down,” said Prakash Kumar Dutta, head of Amazon’s supply chain and distribution centers.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
