Amid Festive Sale, Amazon India Allegedly Copied Sellers' Products, Rigged Search Results: Report

It is being reported that Amazon India ran a systematic campaign of creating knockoffs and manipulating search results to boost its own product lines.

(Representative Image/Getty)

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing Festive Season Sale, e-commerce giant Amazon India stepped into a controversy after it reportedly copied items sold by third-party sellers and then manipulated search results to favour its own products, news agency Reuters reported, citing internal documents.

It is being reported that Amazon India ran a systematic campaign of creating knockoffs and manipulating search results to boost its own product lines.

The report by the news agency is based on Amazon's internal emails, strategy plans, and other documents that outlined an ambitious plan to dominate the platform with its in-house brands.

Reuters found flaws in Amazon India's business activity - large on two main fronts: i. Amazon team technically boosted the rankings of specific product listings in order to make sure that company brands like AmazonBasics appeared "in the first two or three" search results for a category ; ii. Furthermore, Amazon shortlisted 'reference' or 'benchmark' products that are popular with customers and then copied them. At least two high-level executives allegedly reviewed the plans.

The report also revealed that a popular shirt brand, John Miller, was among the victims of Amazon's alleged campaign. Amazon decided to "follow the measurements of" John Miller shirts down to the neck circumference and sleeve length, the document states.

Top-level Amazon executives such as Diego Piacentini, who previously led the company’s international business, and Russell Grandinetti, senior VP of international consumer, were aware of the business practices in India, Reuters reported.