Amazon India has launched a new marketplace Amazon Business on its platform, focused at requirements of the small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the country. The new marketplace caters to procurement needs of SMBs such as technology and service companies, manufacturers, universities, schools and offices, etc. Amazon said in a statement that the SMB-dedicated marketplace has 10 crore products including laptops, printers, network storage solutions, electronics, pantry supplies among others at business-only pricing, bulk discounts, doorstep delivery and GST compliant invoices. How it works: Small companies can register with Amazon Business with their GST number and be entitled for input tax credit (varying between 5-28 per cent basis different product types). Note that, In 2015, MediaNama reported that Amazon India has launched AmazonBusiness, however, it was only available to users in Bangalore on an invite only basis. Amazon Business was first launched in the US in April 2015, followed by Germany in December 2016, UK in April 2017, Japan in September 2017 and with India being launched, Amazon Business is available across five countries globally. SMEs in Focus Amazon and other ecommerce and Internet companies are tapping SMEs in a big way. -This month, Amazon India partnered with Bank of Baroda to offer unsecured micro loans to its sellers ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. The company claims that the seller will get the credit line in a short span of three-five days with an annual interest rate of 10.45% – 11.5% with lighter documentation. -In August, online travel company MakeMyTrip launched a new service known as MyBusiness, which taps…
