Amazon Australia is launching: it’s official
The ecommerce giant is rolling out Amazon Marketplace and looking for a warehouse.
After months of speculation and rumours, Amazon.com has finally officially confirmed its plans to expand into Australia.
"Amazon Web Services launched an Australian region in 2012, we launched a Kindle Store on Amazon.com.au in 2013, and we now have almost 1000 employees in the country," a statement from Amazon said.
"The next step is to bring a retail offering to Australia, and we are making those plans now. We are excited to bring thousands of new jobs to Australia, millions of dollars in additional investment, and to empower small Australian businesses through Amazon Marketplace."
Those plans include establishing local warehouses so Amazon can offer a wider range of goods. That will also allow it to offer its Amazon Prime free shipping deal, where customers pay an annual fee ($99 in the US) and receive unlimited free shipping on all orders. It's likely to be 2018 before any warehouses are operational, though.
"We are optimistic that by focusing on the things we believe customers value most - low prices, vast selection, and fast delivery - over time we'll earn the business of Australian customers," the statement said. That's good news for consumers, but likely to be highly disruptive to existing Australian online businesses.
Amazon is also now actively recruiting local retailers for its Amazon Marketplace service which lets other businesses sell on Amazon, placing a notice seeking new vendors on its Amazon.com.au site. "There are already thousands of Australian businesses selling their products on existing Amazon Marketplaces," the note reads. "We are excited to bring the Amazon Marketplace to Australia next." Currently, the local site only sells Kindle books and Amazon Prime Video.
