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Amazon Launches New International Shopping Feature
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In an active effort to further globalize it’s e-commerce services, Amazon has recently added a new international shopping feature to reach more than 100 countries. The feature, aimed to simplify shipping for international customers, makes Amazon’s US mobile shopping application usable for those who live in countries outside of Amazon’s core marketplace territories.
By switching to the international shipping mode, customers who reside in markets where Amazon doesn’t have a local presence can browse and buy over 45 million eligible items through localized pricing, shipping costs, and duty estimates, and have orders shipped to their country from the US. How is this feature different than seeing the items on Amazon’s US website that are eligible for delivery to over 100 countries, which customers do today?
The answer lies in the convenience, experience, and ease of use with the app’s new feature. When a customer turns on the international shopping feature, they will only see products that can be delivered to their location. Historically, customers had to painstakingly scroll through products using a different Amazon country website (such as the US) to locate items that ship overseas.
Only available on mobile, the international shopping feature supports five languages today – English, Spanish, German, Simplified Chinese, and Brazilian Portuguese – and 25 currencies. Over 100 countries have access to the feature currently (Chile, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Peru, Thailand, and Hong Kong, to name a few) and Amazon plans to add more languages and currencies later this year.
Samir Kumar, vice president of Amazon Exports and Expansion stated, “Customers have been asking for a way to easily find and shop for only products available to them. We are always innovating on behalf of our customers, and with this launch, we are making the shopping experience on mobile devices even better and more convenient for our customers who live outside the US.”
How will the feature impact third-party sellers?
You can increase your business’s profitability and visibility. This new streamlined feature could compel a larger group of global customers to turn to Amazon over other platforms when searching for products. With targeted item listings that are available in specific countries, customers will be more apt to make a purchase knowing that they will be able to receive it from the US without any hiccups.
Secondly, you will have access to a diverse customer base. The new feature allows customers to shop in five languages. If you don’t offer customer support in any of them, it may be a good idea to invest in support agents who are fluent in them if the international portion of your business starts to take off, so that your customer service metrics aren’t impacted by any communication or response barriers. It’s important for competitive sellers to ensure a consistent customer experience worldwide in order to maximize the opportunity for global selling in new marketplaces.