South Punjab set to get its first Amazon facility as Pakistan Post will inaugurate south Punjab’s first Amazon Fulfilment and Facilitation Centre (AFFC) in Multan after Eidul Azha. Once the AFFC is inaugurated the Pakistani entrepreneurs will became eligible to sell on the platform. Small & Medium Enterprises (SME), youth and women entrepreneurs will have ample opportunities to connect with the global market via the Amazon platform.
It is time for Pakistani entrepreneurs to reach out to millions of customers globally as the country get listed and becomes in the verified Amazon seller list – the world’s largest e-commerce platform after May 06 this year.
Post Master General (PMG) Zulfiqar Husnain said that most of the work has been completed on the AFFC at the general post office Dera Adda and it would become functional after Eid-ul-Azha.
An Amazon warehouse would also be established there to meet the requirements of the e-commerce store. The work was also in progress to set up Amazon centres with warehouses in Bahawalpur and other districts of South Punjab.
He said Multan officials were in contact with Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) to ensure that handmade products of South Punjab craftsmen become the identity of Pakistan on the Amazon portal and ensure that local exporters, industrialists, and traders also avail the world’s largest online retail platform after registration.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said that the Ministry of Commerce will continue discussions in the Focus Group for Amazon which will include representatives from sellers, logistic companies, various ministries and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to further guide Pakistan’s business community on how to make best use of this opportunity.
Dawood said, “In order to reap full benefits, a lot of hard work has to be done in training, quality assurance, improvement in logistics, payment systems, customer relationship management, etc.“ He encouraged the breed of young entrepreneurs to train themselves in this regard and strive for continuous product improvement as a long-term continuous endeavour”.
The addition of Pakistan in the sellers list of Amazon marks the accomplishment of a milestone of the National e-Commerce Policy, and is the outcome of sustained engagement with Amazon since the last quarter of 2019 by the Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan’s Embassy in Washington, and the Consulate General in Los Angeles and the Pakistani diaspora on the West Coast of the US, and continuous dialogue with the business community and public sector stakeholders, through the National e-Commerce Council (NECC).
Pakistani manufacturers gaining access to a worldwide Ecommerce platform with Amazon, opens a new chapter of supply chain, where Pakistani manufacturers will sell directly to customers. This new channel will encourage manufacturers to work back from customer needs, design new products, offer high quality at competitive prices and also access new market segments.
By connecting with and forming part of the global e-Commerce network, an excellent opportunity has been created for Pakistani entrepreneurs, as highlighted by Eric Broussard, Vice President, Amazon International Seller Services who said and we quote:
Eric Broussard said, “We are excited to announce that as of today, Pakistani entrepreneurs are eligible to sell on Amazon. We are eager to work with Pakistan’s dynamic business community, including small and medium-sized sellers, and help connect them with customers around the globe.”
It is pertinent to mention that Amazon is one of the most dominant companies in the information technology industry as ‘The Four’ Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple are commonly known as GAFA.
