Amazon Australia expected to launch in time for Black Friday
Amazon is expected to launch its Australian operations in time for Black Friday, with a testing phase set to launch with a select group of sellers tomorrow.
An email obtained by Lifehacker was sent to select sellers yesterday, claiming an “internal testing phase with a small number of customers” will commence on Thursday 23 November 2017 at 2pm AEST.
Source: Lifehacker
The email tells sellers that if they wish to be part of the testing phase, they “should be prepared to receive orders from this point onward”.
“As your products will be able to be purchased, please make sure your pricing and stock is up-to-date”, the email says.
Back in September, Citi analysts told The Sydney Morning Herald that they expected the site to launch in time for Black Friday.
On Tuesday, Business Insider tracked down several accidentally published pages which revealed items including toasters, electric blankets and smartwatches, and brands including Dyson, Sunbeam and Huawei.
Source: Business Insider
Rumours of the site’s impending launch were strengthened after Australian head Rocco Braeuniger told an audience at a Sydney summit last Monday morning the launch is “getting really, really, really close”.
Braeuniger also confirmed Amazon will launch with both an online retail and a “marketplace” offering, meaning third-party sellers will have the capacity to sell products alongside Amazon itself.
The retail giant announced Braeuniger as its Australian retail head back in August.
Prime, Amazon’s one-hour delivery service, is not expected to launch on Friday.
Amazon has been approached for comment.
