Over 500 already signed up as Amazon hosts first Aussie summit

Amazon will host a marketplace seller summit in Sydney with hundreds of Australian businesses set to attend to receive advice on selling through the e-commerce giant’s platform.

Over 500 Australian sellers already registered to sell on Amazon Marketplace in Australia.

In a recent webinar with potential sellers, key account manager, Brittany Rinker, said the company aims to launch Marketplace by late 2017 or early 2018, though she emphasised that this is not an official launch date.

She said Amazon is currently focused on getting businesses signed up and creating listings on Marketplace, which represents over 50 per cent of all items sold on Amazon websites globally.

The free half-day event will provide practical guidance on setting up and growing a business online, and is being run in partnership with the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and small business network, the SME Association of Australia (SMEA).

“The internet and technology have the power to level the playing field between big and small businesses, empowering Australian companies, large and small, to grow their sales and their business online,” said Rocco Braeuniger, Australian country manager, Amazon.

“We look forward to enabling local businesses to make their products available to a wide audience, not only in Australia, but also worldwide.”

The event at Jones Bay Wharf in Sydney will feature keynote presentations from Braeuniger, and head of Amazon Marketplace in Australia, Fabio Bertola, as well as insight from experts and entrepreneurs.

“Amazon launching in Australia marks an exciting time for Australian entrepreneurs,” said Adam Mills, CTO and founder of Australian business KoalaSafe, which has seen incremental year on year growth in sales, with Amazon Marketplace being its biggest channel. Mills will be presenting at the Seller Summit, sharing his experience and best practice.

“For those who are selling physical products, Amazon provides a great opportunity to get these products in front of customers and we encourage businesses to take full advantage.”

Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the Australian Retailers Association said Amazon’s arrival brings new possibilities to Australian retailers, small and large.

Mark Flack, board member, SMEA added that the “reality is that there’s a lot of education that needs to happen amongst the small business community when it comes to being digitally savvy and using the right tools to take their business to the next level.”