Amazon.com Inc. unveiled a shoppers' website in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, showcasing its continuing business interests in the country despite a public discord between the government of Riyadh and Jeff Bezos, Amazon's top boss.
The website is a re-branding of Souq.com, a Middle East e-commerce platform purchased by Amazon in 2017 for $580 million, for its Saudi clients. Account information of shoppers using Souq is automatically moved to the new address, amazon.sa, the group disclosed on the website. Similarly, Amazon transformed Souq's site to a re-branded portal in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, to amazon.ae.
Amazon.sa, a dedicated online shopping outlet for buyers in The Kingdom. The site enables Saudi customers to search through and purchase items from both domestic and international businesses, including good sold from the Amazon in the US.
So far, the new site has a total of 34 categories, including grocery and supermarket products, electrical, cosmetics and beauty, fashion, books and home appliances. Amazon.sa has languages in English and Arabic, on both the shopping app and on the actual site, which will also offer client support in both languages.
The world's leading online shopping site has launched in Saudi Arabia as more Saudi customers prefer to buy on the internet in the midst of the ongoing global health crisis. It comes as global online shopping gets a major lift from COVID-19-related lockouts and more buyers find shopping online more convenient.
According to a statement from Amazon.sa, the new shop brings together "the best of Souq's local know-how and Amazon's global retailing experience," Fahad Alzahrani of Arab News, reported.
Amazon has converted all Souq.com buyer information, orders, wish lists, shipment addresses, modes of payment, and client support questions to the new amazon.sa accounts so shoppers don't need to make any revisions and can start buying on amazon.sa with their Souq details right away.
According to media reports, a dispute involving Bezos and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not hinder Amazon's investment propositions for The Kingdom.
Amazon disclosed in a media statement that it is developing a network of operations that will cover the region, and its blueprint already includes 14 warehouses, a working crew of over 1,400, and a strategic alliance with the Saudi Post.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime, offered at the United Arab Emirates, is not available in Saudi Arabia yet. A spokesperson for Amazon told The National they are continually working on introducing and expanding options for their customers, "but have nothing to announce currently with regards Amazon Prime," Farah Andrews of The National, wrote.
