Amazon allegedly used its search system and user data to gain an edge over sellers in India, according to a new report from Reuters. The report — based on internal emails, strategy plans, and other documents — outlines an ambitious plan to dominate the platform with its in-house brands. According to the documents, that plan included strategies that Amazon has vehemently denied using amid antitrust scrutiny.
The Reuters story provides extensive details about Amazon India’s alleged activity, but two key pieces stand out. The first is a claim that Amazon employees used “search seeding” (or boosting the rankings of specific product listings) to ensure that company brands like AmazonBasics appeared “in the first two or three” search results…