The launch of Amazon Australia is “really, really, really close” country manager Rocco Braeuniger told a packed room in Sydney on Monday.
Speaking at the first Australian Amazon seller summit, Braeuniger stopped short of revealing an exact date for the launch but did tell an audience of about 500 potential customers that the company’s fulfilment centre in Dandenong South is ready to go.
Braeuniger also confirmed Amazon will launch with both a retail and a marketplace offering, which was not a given. In Italy, for example, Amazon launched with just a retail offering before launching the marketplace.
Thousands of third-party sellers are already registered to sell on Amazon marketplace when it launches, which analysts from Citi expect to coincide with the Black Friday shopping event next week.
“We have a long-term ambition to be successful and to earn the trust of Australian companies and the Australian customer,” said Braeuniger. “As with other country launches we will launch with a great selection, product lines and delivery options and then over time build on this with additional features, services and programs.”
Amazon Australia country manager Rocco Braeuniger.
Head of Amazon Marketplace in Australia Fabio Bertola told attendees the company decided to launch with a retail and marketplace offer because of the potential of local small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
“In Australia there are a lot of SMEs that have a unique selection that’s interesting for customers,” he said. “We want to engage with these potential sellers to bring this selection to Australian customers.”
Bertola spruiked the benefits of Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) for SMEs, saying the service “enables you to scale without the need for costly infrastructure”.
This involves sending stock to an Amazon warehouse where it will be stored, picked, packed and delivered by Amazon.
Bertola said FBA also helps businesses expand into other markets, as an Australian seller can ship stock to a single location in Europe or the US and have Amazon take care of fulfilment. Many Australian sellers currently take advantage of this service.
“FBA makes your job simple and you don’t have to worry about sending to individual customers,” said Bertola. “It grows traffic and grows sales. We believe FBA for Australian businesses will be the key to their success.”
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