Amazon expands to South Africa, opens walk-in centre in Cape Town

Amazon expands to South Africa, opens walk-in centre in Cape Town

Amazon launched a Seller Success Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, on Thursday, aiming to support independent sellers in the region. 

This initiative is part of Amazon’s strategy to enhance its presence in South Africa’s competitive e-commerce market, where it faces stiff competition from local leader Takealot.

The centre, located at Amazon’s head office, offers various services, such as seller on-the-spot registration, training programs, and assistance with product imaging and logistics. 

Robert Koen, Managing Director of Amazon Sub-Saharan Africa, emphasised the importance of product diversity for customers: “The biggest thing is product breadth for our customers. We just want to have loads of products that people can buy.”

Read also: Amazon adds naira, Egyptian pound payment options to web services

Empowering local entrepreneurs

Local entrepreneurs, such as Nikki Robertson, founder of Zulu Mien, have shared their positive experiences. 

She stated, “Amazon has maintained strong communication and guided me through the process of becoming an online seller… their assistance has been invaluable in digitising my business”. 

This reflects Amazon’s commitment to empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa.

The launch aligns with Amazon’s broader goal to foster digital adoption among SMEs. These companies employ about 50 percent of the country’s workforce but often struggle with technology access. The centre provides hands-on support to bridge this gap.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *