Rumours circulating in retailing news say that Amazon Australia launch date is set for a soft launch tomorrow (23rd November), with a full launch expected for Friday if all goes to plan. Just in time for a series of Black Friday deals. From our contacts, Vendors have been signed up for a while and launch deals and promotions have been agreed, meaning Amazon can launch with a bang. Although Amazon.com.au does currently exist, it has been primarily used as a kindle store. This move marks the first time Australian residents have been able to buy physical products.
At last week’s Marketplace Seller Summit which was held in Sydney, Amazon Australia’s country manager Rocco Braeuniger told attendees that they should expect an imminent launch. He also mentioned that Amazon Australia would start servicing Vendors and Sellers at the same time. Vendors have been told that they should expect to receive orders from 2pm AEST on Thursday 23rd November.
Amazon is expected to provide much needed competition for eBay in Australia. According to a News.com.au article, IBISWorld analyst Kim Do has said Amazon are planning to undercut the retail market by as much as 30%. It is very likely that in the short to medium term, Amazon will be willing to accept losses, in order to gain market share, something it has previously done in other markets.
However despite this, Amazon already has a strong fanbase in Australia. According to Nielsen, 4.6million visits to Amazon US in October were from Australia. This is compared to Woolworths audience of 6.7 million, however Amazon will be looking to significantly increase the number of visitors they receive once launching regionally.
If you are a brand based in Australia, the launch of Amazon Australia presents a great opportunity for to break into a new market in its early stages and increase revenues. However, ensuring you have high quality content and ensuring you are leveraging Amazon’s other tools such as AMS, A+ content and the new Stores feature is critical to sustained success.
Looking to launch on Amazon Australia? Expert Edge can help you. Our team is made up of former Amazon employees, vendors and sellers, who are both knowledgeable & personable . Find out more about our Amazon Consulting services and how we can help you.
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