Is Cloudtail India Owned by Amazon?

Cloudtail India is a joint venture between Amazon and Catamaran Ventures, a private investment firm owned by Narayana Murthy. It was launched in 2014, and it is one of the largest sellers on Amazon India. Cloudtail India has been a source of controversy in the Indian e-commerce market.

There have been allegations claiming that Cloudtail India is owned by Amazon, and that it has an unfair advantage over other sellers on the platform. It has been alleged that since Amazon owns a 49% stake in Cloudtail India, it is able to provide preferential treatment to the company, such as access to better deals from suppliers and discounts for customers. In addition, some have argued that as Cloudtail India accounts for more than 25% of all sales on Amazon India, it gives the company an unfair advantage over other competing sellers.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) conducted an investigation into the allegations in 2018 and concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that Cloudtail India had received any preferential treatment from Amazon or had an undue influence on pricing or selection of products on the platform. The CCI also noted that Amazon was not involved in the day-to-day operations of Cloudtail India, nor did it have any control over its pricing decisions or selection of products.

The CCI also found that while Cloudtail India accounted for 25% of all sales on Amazon India, this figure was not out of line with what would be expected given its size and resources compared to other sellers on the platform. Furthermore, its market share had actually decreased over time since its launch in 2014.

Overall, while there are some concerns about Cloudtail’s relationship with Amazon, the evidence suggests that these concerns are unfounded. Therefore, it can be concluded that despite Amazon owning a 49% stake in Cloudtail India, it does not own or control the company in any way.

Conclusion

In conclusion, based on evidence from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), it can be said that while Amazon holds a 49% stake in Cloudtail India, it does not own or control the company in any way.