
Amazon opens dedicated Australian business store
Amazon Business opened an Australian site on Wednesday morning, the retailer's eleventh country-specific business wholesale store.
Questioned about taking on retailers such as Officeworks, Amazon Australia executive Lena Zak told NewsWire: 'We've invested in our selection, we've invested in our delivery processes and customers are getting deliveries as fast as the same day'.
'We are really customer-focused, not competitor-focused … We really believe that now is the time to launch for (business-to-business) customers, who we feel have been under-served by the procurement processes that we have in Australia.'
Amazon Business offers wholesale rates and 'eligible' businesses can consolidate their purchases and tax invoices in one place.
Amazon does not disclose what exactly makes a business eligible other than being 'legitimate'.
Amazon Australia's growth marketing boss, Ms Zak, told NewsWire the company's existing courier network could handle the new business customers.
The business arm of the retail giant sells millions of items. Beyond pens and desk chairs, there are cleaning supplies, trades equipment, cookery and first aid.
'They're also buying nappies and formula, and toys, and the list goes on,' Ms Zak said of business customers, such as day care centres.
'Without Amazon Business, they may have had to visit multiple stores to get everything they need … with this launch, they can get all of that in one place, delivered fast and free and with exclusive discounts.'
Ten other countries have a dedicated Amazon Business store, namely Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the UK and the US.
Touting independent research from YouGov, Amazon says 78 per cent of small and medium businesses have made cost-cuttings in the past three years, signalling room in the market for Amazon's massive product range and member discounts.
The general platform allows small businesses to sell their products; in total, 14,000 Australian businesses sell their wares on Amazon, Ms Zak said.
'So for those sellers on our side, we're now giving them access to a whole new customer base to continue growing their businesses'
In the US, the retail giant is trying to make inroads in another lucrative market – groceries.
Consumers can pay US$99.99 a year on top of their Prime subscriptions to get groceries delivered.
Mexican and British grocery chains have signed similar deals with the retailer.
Ms Zak and other spokespeople for Amazon said there were plans for Australian grocery deliveries.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Perth Now
14 minutes ago
- Perth Now
UK's Reeves is getting on with 'tough' job after upset
The job of British finance minister is difficult, Rachel Reeves says, but its remains her dream role and one she is determined to continue doing Reeves was speaking a day after she appeared in tears in parliament, sparking fears about her future in the job and triggering a market sell-off. "Is this job easy? Is it easy to turn around the economy? No, it's not. It is tough, but I'm getting on with that job," Reeves told reporters on Thursday. "During the course of this parliament, I'm determined to do more." Reeves' tearful appearance came after a bruising week for the government when it was forced to abandon key planks of planned welfare reforms, which blew a hole in her budget plans and threatened to undermine her fiscal rules. Starmer has given his full support to Reeves and the two appeared together at the launch of a healthcare policy on Thursday. "Clearly I was upset yesterday and everyone could see that. It was a personal issue and I'm not going to go into the details," Reeves said. "I guess the thing that maybe is a bit different between my job and many of your viewers, is that when I'm having a tough day, it's on the telly (TV), and most people don't have to deal with that." Asked if she could reassure people that she was still up for the job, she said: "I totally am. This is the job that I've always wanted to do. I'm proud of what I've delivered as chancellor (finance minister)."

Sky News AU
18 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Amazon's robotics, AI push not eliminating jobs, company says
Amazon warehouses are still a viable job option for unskilled and entry-level workers, executives of the e-commerce giant say, despite massive robotics and AI investments. Speaking to NewsWire in Japan this week, Amazon's global head of PR for robotics and AI, Xavier Chao, compared AI robots and sorting machines to offices having a coffee machine and snacks close to the desks. 'Retention is very, vitally important for us if we want to continue to manage and sustain our business and grow; we have to retain our workforce,' Mr Chao said. 'And so we think that innovation is part of the solution of creating a nice workplace that attracts people, and retains staff.' Australia has eight Amazon 'fulfilment centre' warehouses; seven of these do not have Amazon's robots. The custom designed and built robots operate using AI, moving stacks of products for humans to pick and put into boxes. Australia's robotised Amazon warehouse is at Kemps Creek in Sydney, and employs about 2500 workers. With Australia's comparatively low-tech Amazon facilities - compared to warehouses in comparable countries - retraining Australian workers to fix and maintain Amazon's robots has stalled. In June, Amazon announced it would be investing $20bn in data centres in Australia, reiterating concerns about the e-commerce company's entrenchment in the Australian economy. Anthony Albanese faces internal pressure from high-ranking Labor MPs, The Australian reports, over accusations Amazon undermines labour laws and employs tax avoidance tactics. These criticisms are echoed by unions - the ACTU, TWU and the SDA - who claim Amazon Australia's workplace practices are unethical. Asked if operating in countries with relatively strong workplace protections was tough for Amazon, Mr Chao said 'Right now, what we're really hyper-focused on is can these systems actually benefit our frontline workers, and getting feedback from them'. He argues wide-scale automation is good for workers. 'If we can create the most innovative workplace that we possibly can, we want to try to do three things. 'Safety … Ease - all of us want to have an easier job. 'And then three, it's exposure. So a lot of people who come and work at an Amazon facility, you know, there are people from all walks of life.' *Amazon paid for NewsWire's travel and accommodation in Japan Originally published as Amazon's robotics, AI push not eliminating jobs as tech giant continues automation wave


Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
AI, robots not eliminating jobs: Amazon
Amazon warehouses are still a viable job option for unskilled and entry-level workers, executives of the e-commerce giant say, despite massive robotics and AI investments. Speaking to NewsWire in Japan this week, Amazon's global head of PR for robotics and AI, Xavier Chao, compared AI robots and sorting machines to offices having a coffee machine and snacks close to the desks. 'Retention is very, vitally important for us if we want to continue to manage and sustain our business and grow; we have to retain our workforce,' Mr Chao said. 'And so we think that innovation is part of the solution of creating a nice workplace that attracts people, and retains staff.' A worker in front of an item-by-item timer at their station inside Amazon's Chiba Minato warehouse in Tokyo. NewsWire / Blair Jackson Credit: News Corp Australia Australia has eight Amazon 'fulfilment centre' warehouses; seven of these do not have Amazon's robots. The custom designed and built robots operate using AI, moving stacks of products for humans to pick and put into boxes. Australia's robotised Amazon warehouse is at Kemps Creek in Sydney, and employs about 2500 workers. With Australia's comparatively low-tech Amazon facilities - compared to warehouses in comparable countries - retraining Australian workers to fix and maintain Amazon's robots has stalled. In June, Amazon announced it would be investing $20bn in data centres in Australia, reiterating concerns about the e-commerce company's entrenchment in the Australian economy. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined Amazon Web Services chief executive Matt Garman in Seattle in June as AWS announced a $20bn investment into data centre infrastructure in Australia. NewsWire / PMO Credit: News Corp Australia Anthony Albanese faces internal pressure from high-ranking Labor MPs, The Australian reports, over accusations Amazon undermines labour laws and employs tax avoidance tactics. These criticisms are echoed by unions - the ACTU, TWU and the SDA - who claim Amazon Australia's workplace practices are unethical. Asked if operating in countries with relatively strong workplace protections was tough for Amazon, Mr Chao said 'Right now, what we're really hyper-focused on is can these systems actually benefit our frontline workers, and getting feedback from them'. He argues wide-scale automation is good for workers. 'If we can create the most innovative workplace that we possibly can, we want to try to do three things. 'Safety … Ease - all of us want to have an easier job. 'And then three, it's exposure. So a lot of people who come and work at an Amazon facility, you know, there are people from all walks of life.' *Amazon paid for NewsWire's travel and accommodation in Japan