Internet retail giant Amazon has launched its new Dutch website Amazon.nl, with a range of more than 100 million products.
Amazon previously used its Dutch site only for the sale of e-books. The new site will not only offer the full range of products, it will also be open to businesses and customers in Belgium.
Until now, Belgian internet shoppers had to go to Amazon’s German site. Now, both shoppers and sellers will be able to use the Dutch site. One drawback: anyone who paid for a Prime account on Amazon.de will not be able to use it on Amazon.nl. A normal Amazon account is however easily transferable to the Dutch site.
Another drawback: the site appears to be in Dutch only for the time being.
The company informs Belgian users that delivery is free on orders over €20, and take two to four working days to arrive.
The opening of a Dutch site will present competitors Coolblue and Bol.com with a challenge, retail experts said. Amazon is, with the Chinese site Alibaba, the largest retailer in the world, and its founder Jeff Bezos the richest human on the planet.
Bol.com in particular has had the time to mark its space in the Dutch market, while Coolblue owns the online market in white goods and home electronics in particular. But Amazon has worldwide recognition, and has the weight to allow it to engage in a price war if necessary.
Dutch shoppers, besides, are accustomed to cut-throat price wars in the supermarket space, and have shown themselves willing to forsake brand loyalty for the sake of savings. The new site, accordingly, opens its doors with a wide range of price offers across the gamut of 30 categories.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
