Amazon enters India via Junglee.com
So, the news is that Amazon has entered India through Junglee.com. Amazon had, in fact, already acquired Junglee back in 1998 for $140 million.
Today, Amazon is one of the most successful internet companies in the world. This move is being closely watched because the Indian e-commerce market is still in a nascent stage, yet it holds enormous potential — estimates point to a $400+ billion opportunity over time. The pie is huge, and it is only expected to grow.
But for Junglee to rule the jungle… well, that may take some time.
The first impression of Junglee.com is quite disappointing. The site is still marked as beta, but coming from Amazon, expectations were naturally higher. Frankly, it doesn’t encourage browsing beyond the first page.
Personally, I have used Infibeam and Flipkart, and I would say these two are among the best e-commerce platforms in India at present. They offer strong service levels and features like cash-on-delivery, which works extremely well in the Indian market.
Now, Junglee.com itself will not sell products directly. Instead, it redirects customers to online and offline vendors. Sounds interesting — big promises — but several questions arise:
- What about returns and refunds?
- How will customer care be handled?
- What about service quality and product authenticity?
Is the focus primarily on earning sales commissions by onboarding as many vendors as possible and then building the marketplace from there? If so, that approach may not be as easy as it sounds.
For me, this remains a wait-and-watch situation.
And by the way… I need to rush back to my current e-commerce sites to search for my favourite book.
Till then — good luck, Junglee!
Disclaimer
This content is provided for educational and informational purposes only and reflects personal observations.
It should not be construed as business, investment, or strategic advice.
