Amazon targets social commerce entry with acquisition of India's GlowRoad

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Apr 23, 2022

Amazon has acquired Indian social commerce startup GlowRoad for an undisclosed amount, in an all-cash deal, marking the e-commerce platform's entry into the social commerce space already occupied by platforms such as Whatsapp and Facebook where users sell their wares.

Both companies confirmed the deal to media outlets on Friday.

“Amazon continues to explore new ways to digitise India and delight customers, micro- entrepreneurs and sellers and bringing Glowroad onboard is a key step in this direction," an Amazon spokesperson said.

"Together with Glowroad, Amazon will help accelerate entrepreneurship among millions of creators, homemakers, students, and small sellers from across the country."

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As part of the deal, Glowroad's team of 170 employees will join Amazon and the entity will continue to be run as an independent unit.

"As we are at the early stage, we look forward to working with Amazon to make the online shopping experience more convenient and trusted for new-to-e-commerce customers, and unlocking greater value for sellers and resellers,” said Kunal Sinha, cofounder of Glowroad.

Since its inception in 2017, Glowroad has raised a total funding of approximately $31 million. Backed by venture capital funds Accel and Vertex Ventures, the social commerce company was reportedly last valued at around $75 million.

Glowroad focuses on tier II and tier III markets through resellers, namely housewives, temporary workers, and students. The startup is present in about 20,000 pincodes and has a presence in 2,000 cities with over six million resellers.