Amazon India adds flat ₹5 fee on all customer orders, Prime included
'Amazon is doing it as part of its monetisation strategy and following an industry standard set by others such as Blinkit, Swiggy and Zepto,' said Satish Meena, an advisor at Datum Intelligence, a consumer technology-focused market research firm. 'Customers don't have any other option not to pay.'
Industry experts observe that many platforms are introducing small fees on each order as a way to manage the growing costs of delivery operations, including transportation, staffing and fuel.
'E-commerce companies also have the confidence that customers are willing to pay for convenience,' said Meena. 'We may expect a further increase in this fee in the future by various e-commerce players.'
Amazon India has introduced the marketplace fee of ₹5 on every order since May.
This flat fee will apply to all orders, with exceptions for specific purchase categories such as gift cards and digital services, according to a company blog post.
The marketplace fee, which Amazon says is a common industry practice, supports the firm's commitment to offer millions of products from diverse sellers.
'It enables Amazon to offer a vast range of products from millions of sellers,' said Amazon.
At launch, the marketplace fee will not apply to gift card purchases, Amazon Business and Bazaar orders, or orders on Amazon Now and Fresh. It also excludes digital purchases like mobile recharges, bill payments, travel and movie bookings, insurance, Alexa skills, Fire TV apps, Prime Video rentals or purchases, subscriptions, and digital products delivered by email (e.g. software or Apple Store codes).
For Pay on Delivery orders or prepaid orders with other applicable fees (such as offer processing or exchange fees), the marketplace fee will not appear as a separate charge for now, as outlined in updated terms and conditions. It may still be combined with other fees, either fully or partially.
Amazon India does not disclose daily order volumes, but analysts say activity surges sharply during major sales events. In July last year, Amazon India said that Prime Day 2024 was the biggest Prime Day shopping event ever, with the e-commerce firm getting the highest-ever Prime member engagement and new membership sign-ups. Amazon India said a peak of 24,196 orders were placed by Prime members in a single minute (2024) as compared to 22,190 orders in 2023.
In November last year, Amazon India said its month-long Amazon Great Indian Festival (AGIF) 2024 witnessed 1.4 billion customer visits, the highest ever. More than 85 per cent of customers were from non-metro cities. Last year, Amazon India saw 1.1 billion customer visits on the platform during the event, with almost 4 million new customers.
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Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Top three stocks to buy today—recommended by Ankush Bajaj for 28 July
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Buy: ETERNAL LTD — Current Price: ₹310.55 Also Read: Zomato surges past DMart in market value on Blinkit-fueled share rally Buy: FORTIS HEALTHCARE LTD — Current Price: ₹845.55 Buy: SYNGENE INTERNATIONAL LTD — Current Price: ₹681.10 Also Read: Biocon launches QIP to raise ₹4,500 crore Market Wrap On Friday, 25 July 2025, the Indian stock market closed on a weak note, witnessing broad-based selling across major indices. Investors remained cautious amid weak global cues, valuation concerns, and ongoing foreign institutional outflows. The session extended the recent corrective phase, with all benchmark indices finishing deep in the red. The Nifty 50 declined sharply by 225.10 points or 0.90%, closing at 24,837.00. The BSE Sensex also dropped by 721.08 points or 0.88%, ending at 81,463.09. The Bank Nifty mirrored the broader trend, falling by nearly 0.9% to settle around 56,566 after slipping below key support zones during intraday trade. 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Shriram Finance, IndusInd Bank, Tech Mahindra, and Maruti Suzuki also ended the day with losses in the range of 2.4% to 2.8%. Chennai Petroleum was among the worst performers, plunging nearly 9% in a sharp reversal. The broader market sentiment remained fragile, with midcap and smallcap indices also coming under pressure. The Nifty Midcap 100 declined by around 1.6%, while the Smallcap index fell by more than 2%, as profit booking intensified in high-beta names. The rotation away from cyclical and export-oriented stocks toward defensives continued, reflecting a cautious stance among investors. Overall, Friday's session reinforced the short-term corrective phase in the market. With benchmark indices breaking below key support levels, the outlook remains cautious. However, the positive performance in the pharma space suggests selective stock-specific opportunities may still exist even in a weak market environment. 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Until the index reclaims 25,100–25,324 decisively, the short-term bias will remain negative. Traders are advised to maintain a bearish stance, use rallies to initiate fresh shorts, and keep tight stop-losses above 25,100 to protect against potential whipsaws. Ankush Bajaj is a Sebi-registered research analyst. His registration number is INH000010441. Investments in securities are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing. Registration granted by Sebi and certification from NISM in no way guarantee performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors. Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.


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Indian Express
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In 2024, the q-commerce industry boasted a market size of approximately $6.1 billion, thanks in part to changes in consumer preferences and behaviour brought about by the pandemic, and the entry of other players such as Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, and Flipkart Minutes. More than 20 million people are currently estimated to be placing orders on q-commerce portals annually in India. Blinkit is the largest player, accounting for more than 40% of the q-commerce market share. On its website, Eternal says Blinkit is present in 100+ cities, and more than 16 million customers use the app every month. The three largest q-commerce companies in India — Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart — together receive approximately 4.3 million orders every day. The industry has been disruptive, most notably in decreasing the dependence of customers on the estimated 13 million kirana stores across the country. According to a survey by Datum Intelligence, q-commerce has reduced consumers' spending on kirana stores by around $1.28 billion, with 46% of respondents expressing a partial or major shift in expenditure. Approximately 200,000 kirana stores have been forced to shut down due to pressure on their businesses from q-commerce, according to the trade body All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF). In towns and cities across India, these local stores with their smaller budgets and tight margins find it difficult to compete with well-funded q-commerce companies that offer rapid home deliveries at competitive prices and over long hours of the day. The shrinking of traditional kirana stores and the disappearance of jobs in that sector present a difficult policy challenge. And are the quick commerce companies themselves doing well? Despite the boom, no major q-commerce player has truly reached profitability – even though most remain optimistic of being able to do so in the near future. The challenges to the model arise due to a few reasons: q-commerce companies have high operational costs that consist of maintaining and managing a large number of dark stores, thousands of delivery personnel and staff, and large-scale, functional software. These costs have continued to increase as q-commerce companies have rapidly expanded their footprint. A large number of customers buy only a few items at a time – usually essentials such as milk and bread, chips, cold drinks, instant noodles, party supplies, etc. – and low average order values (AOVs), ranging from Rs 500-600, make profiting from most deliveries a challenge. There is also fierce competition in the market among a handful of q-commerce companies that are constantly trying to one-up one another, which makes it difficult for them to make decisions based solely on profits. Concerns have been raised over the safety and security of the gig workers who often work without adequate legal protection and social security, and face risks of accidents and injury trying to deliver orders within short times. In the end, despite the popularity of q-commerce and the great convenience that it offers to customers, it faces a range of stresses and challenges, and the profitability and sustainability of this model over the longer term remains an open question. The writer is a student and a summer intern at The Indian Express