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IPL 2014: Amazon India bags merchandising rights for all eight teams

‘The IPL is the most awaited cricketing event in India.’

Amazon India has bagged the merchandising rights for all the eight Indian Premier League (IPL) teams this year. This means IPL fans, now, would not have to wander across the internet or leaf through markets in their neigbourhood to pick up a T-shirt or a hoodie bearing logos of their favourite teams. Instead, they only need to log in to Amazon India’s homepage and order the merchandise of their choice.

While a one-stop destination means convenience for fans as well as franchisees ? they won’t have to tie up with hundreds of outlets across the country to sell their merchandise ? the deal means a unique marketing opportunity for Amazon. ?The IPL is the most awaited cricketing event in India. It has a huge fan following across genders and age groups. We see this as a great opportunity to connect with our target customers around the world,” said Samir Kumar, director, category management, Amazon India.

To sell IPL merchandise, the e-tailer has launched a ?Fan Store? that exclusively stocks the IPL merchandise. Along with traditional items such as team jerseys, caps, mugs, LED horns, team flags and key chains, Amazon has introduced new items such as shot glasses, lassi glasses, sling bags, lunch bags, school bags, wallets and bandanas. A special fan pack from Kolkata Knight Riders also gives the customer free membership to the Knight Club, which is the KKR fan club. New products will continue to get added to the Fan Store during the entire IPL season, Kumar said.

The IPL franchisees only need to list their selection on our site and forget about the rest as Amazon will take care of packaging and delivery once the buyers place their orders. ?We noticed that consumers were searching for sports merchandise frequently and that the available selection was limited. The exclusive official fan merchandise of all eight franchises is available online only at Amazon.in’s dedicated Fan Store. Going forward, we want this to be the preferred destination for customers to buy sports merchandise,” said Kumar.

The price range of the products is varied and consumers from all segments will get something to buy that suits their pockets. While team jerseys are priced in the range of R500-R1,999, fan apparel is priced at R400-R1,200. Other merchandise, such as caps, LED horns, key chains, wrist bands and badges are available for prices between R40 and R700. Unique shot glasses, sling bags, bandanas and laptop sleeves can be had for R100 to R1,500.

Amazon entered India in 2012 through its price comparison website Junglee.com. It launched its Amazon India website to sell books, DVDs, electronic goods and fashion accessories.

Franchisees see the deal with Amazon as a new milestone in their efforts to build the IPL merchandise market. Arguing that Amazon was a creditable global brand and hence had an immediate connect, Rakesh Singh, president, marketing at India Cements, which owns Chennai Superkings, said: ?We have listed at least 46 types of our fan merchandise on Amazon India’s website. With any e-commerce partner, there needs to be an element of trust because it involves the quality of your products. The Amazon brand name has a mark of integrity.”

Without revealing the details of the contract, Hemant Dua, chief executive of Delhi Daredevils, said: ?The commercial terms (offered by Amazon were good, which is why we partnered with them.?

Industry sources said the deal involved a minimum guarantee from Amazon to the franchisee, besides the latter keeping a certain percentage of the revenues generated.

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First published on: 01-05-2014 at 21:48 IST
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