Overview
After months of speculation, it seems Amazon's much-hyped Australian launch finally has a start date. And that date is tomorrow.
As business information researchers IBISWorld confirmed, emails were sent out to a bunch of Amazon Marketplace sellers on Tuesday, suggesting that the online retail giant would be kicking off an 'internal testing phase' here in Australia at 2pm Thursday, November 23 — just in time for that hectic, pre-Christmas retail rush.
There's not a whole lot of info to go on, though sellers are being told to ensure their pricing and stock is up-to-date, and that their accounts are ready for purchases from the start of this soft launch. They're also being given the opportunity to opt out of the testing phase, by temporarily deactivating their account.
It looks like the rest of us will have to wait until tomorrow to see which, and how many products are available during the launch period — though if we know anything about Amazon, it's that they don't do things by halves.
According to Senior Industry Analyst for IBISWorld Kim Do, Amazon's arrival in Australia is set to give the local retail industry a solid shake-up. "The company intends to challenge domestic retail prices by offering items for 30 percent less than domestic retailers," she explained, adding that technology products are expected to be Amazon's highest selling category.
Let the retail therapy begin!