At Seller Summit in Sydney.
Amazon was host to its Marketplace Seller Summit in Sydney earlier today with Amazon Australia country manager, Rocco Braeuniger (pictured below) and head of Amazon Marketplace in Australia, Fabio Bertola in attendance. A panel of Australian retailers already selling on Amazon, including KoalaSafe, Hip Cup, Third Sigma and Gobe, also discussed how they have benefited from listing their products on Amazon’s marketplace.
Although, Braeuniger did not confirm an exact date for the company’s local launch, only stating it would be “really, really soon”, it has been tipped to coincide with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales period next week.
When Amazon opens, it will be selling products from its warehouse in Dandenong in Melbourne and from third parties through its marketplace. Furthermore, sellers will benefit from 15-day terms and simply need to provide a return address for any product returns.
Amazon will also aim for a two-day delivery turnaround from its fulfilment centre and local sellers will be able to reach consumers from around the world. Therefore, geo-blocking would not be implemented.
“We are excited to work with many thousands of Australian businesses to help them reach more than 300 million customers around the world and to grow their business. We want to encourage and educate Australian businesses on how they can use Amazon Marketplace to take their products to a global audience. With more than half of units sold globally coming from Marketplace sellers, we know that customers love the unique selection that they bring,” Braeuniger said.
Head of Amazon Marketplace in Australia, Fabio Bertola speaking to attendees
ARA executive director, Russell Zimmerman said, “Today’s very practical advice and conversations have been extremely insightful for the retailers and businesses in attendance. Amazon’s entry into Australia provides a great opportunity for local retailers to grow their customer base and increase sales. I personally am excited to see how Australian businesses respond and succeed on the platform. It’s time to embrace change and get excited about the future.”
In partnership with the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the SME Association of Australia, the Summit was host to around 500 local businesses and entrepreneurs.