E-commerce exports from India through Amazon totalled $20 billion in the ten years ended 2025.
“We are encouraged by the government’s continued focus on e-commerce exports, and remain committed to supporting Indian sellers and enabling $80 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports from India by 2030,” he said an email interview to Mint ahead of the ongoing AI summit in New Delhi.
India is key to Amazon’s global exports strategy. “We recently surpassed a milestone of enabling $20 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports. And, encouraged by this momentum, have raised our goal to enable $80 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports…” he said. “At the same time, we continue to be one of the country’s largest job creators, supporting close to 2.8 million direct, indirect, induced, and seasonal jobs in 2024 alone. We plan to support 3.8 million jobs by 2030.”
Zapolsky, part of Amazon.com Inc.’s top management, said the company—which had recently committed to help add 1 million jobs in India by 2030—is encouraged by the Union budget proposal of removing the ₹10 lakh value cap on courier export and is committed to supporting Indian sellers in expanding their global footprint.
Compliance and data protection
He said Amazon understands the new regulatory regime under digital data protection (DPDP) framework, and is working on implementing its requirements. “We are deeply committed to India and our business priorities are fully aligned with the country’s growth priorities. We understand the requirement and are working on implementation for the DPDP Rules,” Zapolsky said.
Rules notified last November under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023 are being implemented in phases, with administration-related provisions already in place and compliance-related ones kicking in from one year to 18 months. The law sets the boundaries of personal data use in the digital economy based on informed consent, places obligations on businesses using it and prescribes a compliance mechanism as well as penalty for breaches.
Zapolsky said Amazon is evaluating the changes required under the country’s new labour codes, recognizing that the Code on Social Security “aligns with our existing priorities of providing safety, security, and welfare to our employees”.
Under the social security code, aggregators are required to contribute 1-2% of their annual turnover (capped at 5% of payments made or payable to gig/platform workers) to a Social Security Fund, that will finance schemes for accident insurance, health and maternity benefits and other benefits. The fund will also have financial support from the government.
Earlier, platform aggregators had no statutory obligation to contribute to the social security of platform workers, who were dependent on voluntary schemes, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives or had borne the risk themselves, according to a government statement issued on 9 December.
Export logistics and policy pipeline
On Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget announcement earlier this month on removing the value cap on courier exports, Zapolsky said the move will make e-commerce smoother for Indian sellers.
“Amazon already uses a multi-modal ‘courier mode’ for faster clearances, automated logistics, including Amazon Shipping for third-party sellers and specialized channels for cross-border, air, and ground, leveraging partners like the India Post and Indian Railways,” he said. “This change will allow more businesses to ship higher-value orders with ease, building on 2024’s extension of export incentives to courier shipments.”
There could be more coming exporters’ way. “Additionally, at the request of Indian exporters, the government is evaluating a proposal to allow foreign marketplaces to hold inventory solely for exports. Currently, this is not permitted under the FDI (foreign direct investment) rules. This will unlock global opportunities for Indian small sellers, while reducing working capital and operational burden for them,” Zapolsky added.
Digital infrastructure
He said Amazon’s committed investment of over $35 billion in India reflects a long-term belief in the country’s growth and the company’s ambition to expand its businesses in the country—in e-commerce and beyond. “This investment is anchored on three strategic priorities: AI-driven digitization, export growth, and job creation,” he said.
Zapolsky said Amazon is investing deeply in digital infrastructure, building data centres in Maharashtra and Telangana specifically for AI, machine learning, and next-generation cloud applications.
“We’ve already helped digitize more than 12 million small businesses, and we’re committed to extending the benefits of AI to 15 million small businesses and hundreds of millions of customers. This includes AI education for four million government school students, because nurturing human capital will be a defining competitive advantage for AI leadership,” added Zapolsky.
Amazon is committed to bringing the benefits of AI to 15 million small businesses and hundreds of millions of customers, but technology alone doesn’t create value–it has to solve real problems and be easy to use, he said.
“That’s why we’ve designed our AI tools to be intuitive and actionable. Sellers don’t need technical expertise to benefit; they simply use the tools built into their existing workflows…” said Zapolsky. “When sellers use our generative AI tools to create listings, they see a 40% increase in overall listing quality, helping them create content that enhances customer engagement and boosts sales potential.”
gireesh.p@livemint.com
