Amazon to launch online marketplace in South Africa in 2024

CAPE TOWN, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Amazon will officially launch its online marketplace -- Amazon.co.za -- in South Africa in 2024, local media reported Tuesday.

According to the reports, the company made the announcement in a press statement Tuesday, saying independent sellers in South Africa can start registering their businesses on sell.amazon.com/south-africa from Oct. 17.

This will be the first entry of the global e-commerce giant into the South African retail market, although its subsidiary Amazon Web Services has been operating in the country since 2020, and its new Africa headquarters in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, has been under construction for years.

In a statement posted on its website, Amazon said South African-based sellers would have the ability to reach customers across the country starting next year. "More than 60 percent of sales in Amazon's store are from independent sellers -- most of which are small- and medium-sized businesses -- providing a vast selection of products, competitive prices, and great convenience for consumers," it said.

"We look forward to launching Amazon.co.za in South Africa, providing local sellers, brand owners, and entrepreneurs -- small and large -- with the opportunity to grow their business with Amazon, and delivering great value and a convenient shopping experience for customers across South Africa," the statement quoted Robert Koen, general manager of the Sub-Saharan Africa region for Amazon, as saying.

With the launch of its marketplace, Amazon promised to offer a range of valuable tools, programs and services to empower sellers and foster their business growth, "including hundreds of thousands of hours of free educational content to support sellers at every stage of their journey, including articles, videos, webinars and case studies."

Although the announcement was welcomed by local media as a major boost for small businesses in South Africa, they said Amazon would face stiff competition from the likes of local e-commerce giant Takealot.