Why Mukesh Ambani's Reliance, not Walmart, is Amazon's real rival in India

It’s time the Amazon.com Inc. boss took notice of his real rival in India, the only billion-strong consumer market open to Western tech firms. While Walmart Inc.’s acquisition this year of Flipkart, a homegrown e-tailer, might have given the impression that the battle for India would be an all-American contest, a new national e-commerce policy doing the rounds in New Delhi should disabuse Bezos of that notion.

If the draft policy becomes a law, the oil-to-telecom tycoon who’s India’s richest man will emerge as the most formidable challenger to the wealthiest person on the planet.

The core contest comes down to warehouses. Foreign-funded firms aren’t allowed to hold e-commerce inventory in India. That’s a disadvantage for Amazon since it prevents the firm from fully capitalizing on the strengths of its vaunted logistics operation, seen as one of its most decisive edges in the US.

Amazon was hoping that those rules would be loosened but the proposed policy instead calls for harsh controls on even the phantom sellers that Amazon and Flipkart have been using to get around the no-inventory problem. If the new policy is strictly implemented, Amazon and its preferred resellers, won’t be able to offer deep discounts.

Jio phone: 6 million units booked, delivery to start during Navratri

Around 6 million units of JioPhone were booked within three days of its pre-booking that started on August 24, says a channel partner of Reliance Retail.

The delivery of the "effectively free" JioPhone is being planned to start during Navratri festival beginning September 21, the partner said.

"The pre-booking of JioPhone was put on hold after 6 million units were booked within first three days. We have been told by the company that the deliveries of JioPhone will start during Navratri," the channel partner, who asked not to be named, told PTI.

E-mails sent to Reliance Jio and Reliance Retail did not elicit any response.

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, in his previous annual general meeting speech, had said the company plans to sell 5 million JioPhones every week.

The pre-booking of JioPhones started on August 24 against payment of a refundable deposit of Rs 500 and the remainder Rs 1,000 has to be paid by the customer when the company starts delivering them in September.

Ambani had announced that the total amount will be refunded after 36 months when the customer returns the phone.
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JioPhone delivery to start during Navratri, 6 mn units booked

Around 6 million units of JioPhone were booked within three days of its pre-booking that started on August 24, says a channel partner of Reliance Retail.

The delivery of the "effectively free" JioPhone is being planned to start during Navratri festival beginning September 21, the partner said.

"The pre-booking of JioPhone was put on hold after 6 million units were booked within first three days. We have been told by the company that the deliveries of JioPhone will start during Navratri," the channel partner, who asked not to be named, told PTI.

E-mails sent to Reliance Jio and Reliance Retail did not elicit any response.

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, in his previous annual general meeting speech, had said the company plans to sell 5 million JioPhones every week.

The pre-booking of JioPhones started on August 24 against payment of a refundable deposit of Rs 500 and the remainder Rs 1,000 has to be paid by the customer when the company starts delivering them in September.

Ambani had announced that the total amount will be refunded after 36 months when the customer returns the phone.
READ MORE