Registered sellers on Amazon’s Australian Marketplace are now able to access Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) – a service that will pick, pack and ship products on behalf of retailers.
This service will save retailers time and money, as they can simply send any products they wish to ship directly to Amazon’s fulfilment centre – rather than individually buying shipping materials, packing each order and making multiple trips to the post office.
FBA also means Amazon handle returns and customer service for retailers, saving them more time and hassle.
“Size doesn’t matter in the digital economy and Amazon Marketplace helps to level the playing field when it comes to starting or growing a business,” said Head of FBA in Australia Amit Mahto.
“Customers shopping on amazon.com.au will be able to access an ever-growing and more unique range of products accompanied by the convenience of fast delivery and Amazon’s world-class customer service.”
FBA gives customers access to items sold by Marketplace sellers with the benefit of Amazon delivery, meaning customers can enjoy free delivery on eligible orders above $49, plus other shipping options, including one-day expedited delivery available in select areas across Australia. With Prime set to launch in mid-2018, all FBA orders will also be eligible for the Prime shipping benefits.
Meanwhile, Amazon in the US has recently merged its Prime Now with AmazonFresh to delivery groceries to the US market.
Globant CEO for Latin America Diego Tartara says the grocery industry needs to innovate within the digital channel to thrive, especially with services such as Instacart and Walmart grocery delivery.
“Amazon’s move to consolidate AmazonFresh with its PrimeNow delivery service is an example of how it’s experimenting within this space to see what works through various product iterations,” he said. “Amazon has discovered that having AmazonFresh as a side service doesn’t make sense, since it didn’t have the expected results. So now the question is: will combining a not-so-successful AmazonFresh with a very successful PrimeNow save the service?”