‘Kolkata prefers to shop for 2-wheelers and eco-friendly products on Amazon’

KOLKATA: If you thought customers preferred in-store purchases of electric vehicles, think again. As shopping preferences shift increasingly online, customers now prefer to buy two-wheelers through online platforms. In the two-wheeler segment, Amazon has seen an impressive 250 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth. While electric vehicles have driven this surge, petrol vehicles have also played a significant role in the overall expansion.

Back in Kolkata, the trends are encouraging with the automotive segment witnessing an increased demand, with vehicle tools growing by nearly 40 per cent YoY on Amazon.in. In fact, the e-commerce giant saw significant demand for both petrol and electric 2-wheelers especially during the Amazon Great Indian Festival 2024. While petrol 2-wheeler sales grew by almost 8X, electric 2-wheelers witnessed more than 10X growth YoY.

“Of the two-wheeler sales witnessed during the Amazon Great Indian Festival 2024, more than 75 per cent were electric vehicles. Within Bengal, Kolkata contributed to over 25 per cent of the two-wheeler sale,” said K N Srikanth, Director, Home, Kitchen and Outdoors, Amazon India.

Srikanth was in Kolkata on Friday and informed how the city of joy is an important market for the online shopping platform. “We have seen robust growth of 20 per cent YoY in our home, kitchen and outdoors business. This growing demand has intensified during the festive season,” he said. In fact, both Bengal and Kolkata have witnessed a 30 per cent YoY growth in the demand for home decor products. Interestingly, Kolkatans love buying large furniture such as storage beds, wardrobes and large sofas, with the category witnessing a 30 per cent YoY growth in demand. Srikanth is excited to see more Kolkatans choosing sustainable products. There’s also a big interest in home gardening, especially with live plants. Live plant sales on Amazon in Kolkata grew by 30 per cent YoY. The city also saw significant adoption of renewable products with the solar portfolio seeing growth of more than 65 per cent YoY. Solar panels saw tremendous adoption and grew more than 100 per cent YoY. “Bengal is one of the fastest growing markets for us in the solar space. We have seen large solar panels that are being bought by customers. Not just for lighting purposes, but for power generation as well,” said Srikanth.

Amazon India has over 95 service partners, 3 delivery stations and more than 62,000 sellers in the state. The online marketplace has three fulfillment centres and sortation centres each in Kolkata.