Brands
Amazon Now to reach 100 cities with 1,000 plus centres in Rs 2,800 crore push
Rs 2,800 crore push fuels rapid delivery expansion as quick commerce heats up
NEW DELHI: Amazon India is significantly expanding its ultra-fast delivery service Amazon Now, with plans to scale operations to 100 cities across India, backed by a network of over 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres.
The move is part of a broader Rs 2,800 crore investment aimed at strengthening the company’s operations network while also enhancing safety, health and financial wellbeing programmes for thousands of associates, including fulfilment centre staff and delivery partners.
Amazon Now offers a curated selection of thousands of daily essentials, ranging from groceries such as fresh fruits, vegetables and frozen food to personal care, fashion and beauty products, small appliances, baby products, pet supplies and healthcare supplements. These are delivered within minutes, positioning the service at the centre of India’s rapidly evolving quick commerce landscape.
The expansion will take Amazon Now beyond its existing footprint in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru to a wide mix of metro and non-metro cities, including Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Meerut, Mysore, Panipat, Kochi, Amritsar, Mangalore and Vizag.
A key pillar of the initiative is its growing supply ecosystem. The company said the expansion will enable more than 16,000 farmers to directly connect with customers through sellers on the platform, using Amazon’s technology and logistics backbone to deliver fresh produce efficiently.
Explaining the momentum, Amazon India VP everyday essentials Harsh Goyal said, “Customers continue to enjoy Amazon Now, appreciating our delivery speed, value and selection, especially the quality of fresh produce sourced directly from farmers. Encouraged by this success, we have further accelerated our expansion plans and will scale Amazon Now to 100 cities, fuelled by a network of more than 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres.”
He added that the platform is designed to offer unmatched convenience, with thousands of essentials delivered in minutes, over a million items available for same-day delivery, and millions more the next day through Amazon’s wider marketplace.
At the core of Amazon Now is a network of compact, tech-enabled micro-fulfilment centres strategically located close to customer neighbourhoods. These facilities use advanced inventory systems to optimise product placement based on hyperlocal demand, enabling faster and more efficient deliveries.
With scale, speed and supply chain integration coming together, Amazon’s latest push underscores its ambition to become a dominant player in India’s quick commerce space while reshaping how everyday essentials reach consumers.
Brands
RBS acquires Zeko to boost AI-driven guest experience in hospitality
Deal adds automation, upselling and concierge tools to power smarter hotel stays
NEW DELHI: RBS has acquired Zeko, signalling a sharper push into AI-led innovation across the global hospitality sector.
The move strengthens RBS’s ambition to build a unified, intelligent platform that simplifies hotel operations while enhancing guest experience. With Zeko’s technology now in the mix, the company is adding a layer of automation that spans the entire guest journey, from pre-arrival interactions to post-checkout engagement.
Zeko’s platform brings together AI-powered upselling, WhatsApp automation, digital check-in and real-time concierge services into a single system that integrates with existing hotel management software. The result is a more seamless, personalised stay for guests, alongside operational efficiency for hotel teams. Hotels using the platform have reported revenue gains of up to 20 per cent through improved engagement and ancillary sales.
RBS chief executive officer Glenn Turner said, “The guest experience is where hospitality businesses win or lose. Zeko gives operators a proven, intelligent layer that engages guests at every touchpoint, from the moment they book to the moment they check out. Adding that capability to the RBS platform is a meaningful step forward for the operators we serve.”
For Zeko, the deal opens the door to wider global deployment. Zeko founder and chief executive officer Manit Deep Prashar said, “Joining forces with RBS enables us to scale our guest engagement platform across thousands of properties globally. Together, we are extending that capability worldwide, enabling operators to automate workflows, unlock new revenue streams and deliver seamless guest experiences.”
The acquisition underlines a broader shift in hospitality, where AI is moving from a novelty to a necessity. As guest expectations rise and operations grow more complex, platforms that blend automation with personalisation are fast becoming the industry’s new standard.
