• Amazon is coming to town this season. Or more specifically, Amazon is already in Australia and is set to revolutionise the retail industry in the country.
• Ecommerce business owners can benefit a lot by opening an Amazon store including the popularity, credibility and great opportunities that come with Amazon.
• Keep reading if you want to know how Amazon is changing retail in Australia, and how you can drive more traffic and gain more customers through your Amazon store.

With Amazon Australia officially hitting the ‘live’ button in December, the online giant has local retailers bracing and Christmas shoppers rejoicing.

The highly anticipated announcement has many retailers preparing for tougher competition during what is traditionally the most fruitful time of the year, with Amazon Australia’s Marketplace covering 23 categories including books, computers, music, clothing and so on.

Amazon Has Landed in Australia 

One thing is for certain, Amazon is committed to Australia for the long haul and it has pulled no punches with its launch, establishing its commitment to raising the retail standards in Australia.

"By concentrating on providing a great shopping experience and by constantly innovating on behalf of customers, we hope to earn the trust and the custom of Australian shoppers in the years to come," Amazon Australia's country manager, Rocco Braeuniger, said in a statement to the ABC.

With Amazon likely to become a significant part of the Australian economy and retail sector as we head into 2018, it’s the businesses who embrace Amazon’s arrival who will benefit from what the US retail goliath is bringing to the table that has never been available on this scale before.

There is one simple but very important question retailers must ask themselves: does our product fit into a box?

If the answer to that question is a yes, your business (regardless of its size) needs to be one of the first movers within your industry to tap into the power of Amazon Marketplace. While your competitors remain fixed on lamenting about Amazon’s arrival, shift your focus towards how your business stands to benefit:

The Amazon Marketplace Is Fresh and Exciting for Australian Retailers 

The billion-dollar platform is open for business with three weeks of festive spending left in 2017 - the media hype about Amazon’s arrival has been building for years. A lot of Australian consumers will be hitting the site to shop or just out of curiosity heading into Christmas, which is likely to mean incredibly high traffic levels.

Getting listed ahead of your competitors will see you benefiting from these traffic levels during a key retail period.

Having Your Brand Associated with Amazon Builds Credibility

When it comes to ecommerce, Amazon has been leading the way since the ‘90s and there is no doubting that it is a brand that is recognised among shoppers globally. In terms of customer experience, no one does it better than Amazon who is already advertising that their Prime membership service (which includes Prime Shipping where customers are rewarded with exclusive delivery benefits on eligible items), is coming to Australia.

If your business has struggled to maintain an ecommerce website in the past or finds it difficult to keep up with web trends, setting up an Amazon store is a great solution. You pay a percentage in fees to Amazon but they take care of the intricate details that inevitably wind up leaving a lot of ecommerce sellers behind.

Amazon Makes Tapping into International Markets Effortless

Consider this your chance to take your business global simply by having an Amazon store with an ecommerce provider who has a global presence. Reach more customers than ever before, while lowering customer acquisition costs. You give your business the competitive edge, without having to reinvent the wheel.

Don’t get caught up in the analysis of how Amazon will change the retail industry. Instead, focus on being one of the first businesses in your industry to list their store and products. Getting your store listed on Amazon and in the right categories can be tricky - it’s wise to seek help to ensure that you’re maximising the potential of your Amazon store.

Additionally, if you’re already operating an ecommerce store and are looking into opening an Amazon store, consider the implications of this. Software is available to ensure that any sales made via Amazon syncs with your existing ecommerce solution and back of house.