BANGALORE: To help retail business access the potential of the internet, Amazon India launched the Amazon Service Providers Network, or the ASPN on Monday. Brick, mortar and cement retail stores can now access these services and use them to patch their underperforming business metrics and bridge their capacity gap.

ASPN consists of an extensive collection of networked third-party service providers, all linked to Amazon: imaging and animation studios, digital design companies and social media marketing firms, to help vendors who are not internet familiar, or constrained by  time or domain-level expertise to start as well as manage their own online channels.

Amazon asserts that there are nearly twenty providers spanning more than thirty four cities in its network for the initial launch.

“While India’s millions of retailers are getting familiar with online selling and are beginning to participate on marketplaces, a vast majority are first time online sellers who need handholding to ease their online transition. Through this initiative, we aim to create a self-sustaining marketplace of services for sellers to grow their business,” said Amit Deshpande, Director Seller Services, Amazon India.

ASPN is complementary to Amazon’s earlier and similar initiatives such as the Seller University and Amazon Trained Ecommerce Specialist (ATES) network. With new multinational retailers like Walmart poised to enter India, the market for online retail assistance is likely to grow further.

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