Amazon India is trying to turn back the clock.

Since October 2024, when Samir Kumar took over as the new country manager, India’s second-largest e-commerce platform has been exploring new ways of working. Or rather, go back to how things were done earlier.

Kumar is reviving what many call the company’s “input-driven” culture, valuing processes such as pricing discipline and inventory planning. That’s a clear break from how his predecessor, Manish Tiwary, ran the ship—chasing gross merchandise sales and units delivered. Or “output-driven”.

Kumar’s mandate is clear: profitability.

In a town hall held in early 2025 to mark Amazon’s 11th anniversary in India, Kumar essentially told his staff that the company, despite its many ventures, had yet to master its recipe for success.

Amazon’s food delivery, payments, and grocery services have all stumbled, leaving the app crowded with offerings that neither stand out nor dominate.

The exception is Prime, which combines shopping perks with a streaming bundle, making it Amazon’s single biggest differentiator in India’s e-commerce market. For instance, Prime Day 2025, the retailer’s biggest sales event that recently concluded, saw a 70% surge in new sign-ups from tier-2 and -3 cities. The orders peaked at over 18,000 per minute, the company claimed.

Unsurprisingly, Prime is Kumar’s chosen path to profitability. After all, Prime users spend nearly twice as much as their non-Prime peers, and contribute more than half of Amazon India’s business, two category managers said.

The second emphasis is on speed: something the previous leadership thought wasn’t worth their time, per at least three managers. A couple of months ago, the company finally launched its quick-commerce service, Amazon Now, in select cities.

But the timing could’ve been better. E-commerce in India is witnessing a decelerationBain & CompanyHow India Shops Online 2025. Besides, tough competition from the likes of e-tailers Meesho and Flipkart, and quick-commerce platforms Blinkit and Zepto looms, and profitability pressures are cutting deep. To keep the budget under control, Amazon has had to relocate its Bengaluru office and also introduceAmazon Everything you need to know about Amazon.in’s marketplace fee a Rs 5 marketplace fee on every order.