Amazon ecommerce site launched in Turkey – first European launch outside EU market

Amazon has launched its ecommerce local site in Turkey, offering up to 15 product categories, among which there are books, electronics, toys, and more, according to venturebeat.com.

Amazon has offered localized services in 15 markets, having an in-country Amazon domain (Amazon.com), as well as domains in Europe since 1998.

In Europe, specifically, the company has operated in Germany and the U.K. since 1998, as well as in France (2000), Italy (2010), Spain (2011), and the Netherlands (2014).

However, there are localized domains that do not offer a full suite of Amazon services. Amazon’s Netherlands business only sells ebooks, and local shoppers are encouraged to buy other goods via Amazon’s German portal. This means longer delivery time and hefty shipping fees.

With the Amazon.com.tr domain opening, Amazon acquires the seventh market in Europe and sixteenth globally. This fact makes Turkey being Amazon’s first European launch outside the European Union market.

Warehousing
While the Turkish sellers are able to open a local merchant’s account, there is no official communication which states that Amazon will provide local warehousing or fulfillment services, as well.

“Since the launch of Amazon.com in 1995, hundreds of thousands of Amazon customers in Turkey have ordered millions of items from existing Amazon stores around the globe,” said Amazon’s country manager for Turkey, Sam Nicols. “Today, we are thrilled to now offer Turkish customers a selection of millions of products, including products from over one thousand local Turkish businesses.”