Dabur ties up with Amazon to sell 30 products including Vatika, Himalayan honey in US, Canada, Mexico

Homegrown FMCG brand Dabur India has tied up with Amazon to sell 30 of its products directly in the US, Canada and Mexico through the American online retailer's platform, amid a resurging interest in herbal products, ayurveda and yoga. Dabur already has presence in these markets through vendors and distributors who sell their products.

About 30 per cent of its sales come from overseas markets. However, the tie-up with Amazon is expected to give it better penetration in areas where traditional distribution networks may not be able to reach and faster access through the e-commerce giant's Prime subscription.

Dabur is selling 30 consumer products, including Vatika hair oil and Meswak toothpaste, on Amazon. While a majority of these products are for the international market, a few of them are available in India and the US through offline stores. However, Dabur has brought out an exclusive 'Himalayan honey' for Amazon.

Another 80 products will be launched on the portal in the next 6-8 months, according to Dabur India chief executive director (consumer care business), Krishan Kumar Chutani. The BSE-listed company, in turn, is giving content and knowledge about Ayurveda on Amazon. The brand has just partnered with Amazon for an online Ayurveda marketplace for all ayurvedic brands and products in the country, including that of rival Patanjali.

Patanjali, promoted by yoga guru Ramdev, has caused a disruption in the FMCG market with its offerings of herbal and ayurveda products. Its quick growth to the second spot after established global brand Hindustan Unilever prompted Marico chief Harsh Mariwala to say that the brand cannot be taken lightly. With the partnership, the over 130-year-old Dabur is also trying to scale up its online presence.

Chutani said this was crucial for Dabur as "youngsters also want to shift to non-chemical based products". "As much as 70 per cent of India is young, and they are online," he added. He estimated that the proportion of sales from ecommerce should settle at 2-3 per cent of total sales for any FMCG company in the next few years.

At present, it is 0.5-1 per cent. The company is also looking at getting deeper into the medicines category. "Today, the partnership is only for consumer products and a few medicines like Pudin Hara. Eventually, we will bring out more medicines," said Chutani.

Dabur is also running a pilot programme for a subscriptionbased model for medicines, much like a newspaper subscription. "Telemedicine and, eventually, getting into the system of Ayurveda doctors is what we want to work on," said Chutani. He also spoke about the 'Ask Dabur' project, where Ayurvedic doctors will be roped in to give customers medical advice.