Amazon has been serving customers in the Netherlands for years, starting from 2013 when Amazon Web Services (AWS) opened its first Development Center in The Hague, followed by an AWS office in 2015. In the latest update, the e-commerce company is planning to expand Amazon.nl by making physical product categories (marketplace) available to Dutch customers later this year.
Notably, the Dutch marketplace would be Amazon‘s 16th global marketplace. The e-commerce giant also announced that selling partners in the Netherlands and around the world can now register their accounts on https://services.amazon.nl in preparation for the launch.
Roeland Donker, Country Manager Benelux, said:
We are thrilled to take the next step to grow our business in the Netherlands. Today we are announcing that we will expand Amazon.nl later this year, offering our Dutch customers a larger and wider selection of products.
The mixed results from its international business haven’t stopped the e-commerce giant from expanding to the overseas market. Last year, Amazon launched a new marketplace in the UAE and Singapore but closed its service in China.
On the other hand, Jeff Bezos is visiting India, where he promised to invest an additional $1billion after having spent around $7billion in the region so far.
Amazon generated $65.9 billion from international markets in 2018, which accounted for roughly 28% of its total sales, according to company filings. But Amazon’s international segment has seen a slowdown over the past year.
The sales growth dropped to just 9% in the first quarter of 2019, before bouncing back to 18% in the third quarter, its most recent quarterly report. That’s still lower than the 21% annual sales growth reported in 2018. In this regard, let’s have a look at the 4 competitors Amazon has to face in the Dutch’s country.
Bol.com ( Utrecht, The Netherlands)
Founded in 1999, Bol.com is a leading online retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium. Initially started as an online bookstore, it has progressed to deliver the best online shopping experience. It has over 4 million active customers and employs around 1800 people. Visitors can have access to over 6 million products with just one mouse click. Founded by Daniel Ropers, Bol.com delivers several products such as books, toys, gourmet, fondue, electronics, and more.
Coolblue (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Based out of Rotterdam, Coolblue is a fast-growing e-commerce company with nine physical stores in the Netherlands and Belgium. Founded in 1999 by Pieter Zwart, Paul de Jong, and Bart Kuijpers, Coolblue is the biggest online retailer in consumer electronics in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Last year, Coolblue added an Augmented Reality feature that lets customers place a TV virtually in their room before they decide to purchase it. It also allows users to test the product virtually in various formats. Its app supports English, Dutch, and French.
Zalando (Berlin, Germany)
Based out of Berlin, Zalando is an online fashion platform offering a broad assessment of fashion for men, women, and children. Founded by David Schneider, and Robert Gentz in 2008, this platform carries over 1.500 brands and over 150.000 product choices for over 17 million customers in 15 countries. The company aims to create the world’s best online fashion experience.
MediaMarkt (Bayern, Germany)
With more than 800 stores in 13 countries around the globe, MediaMarkt is one of the largest consumer electronics retailers. This platform offers everything from flat-screen TVs to tablets, from smartphones to action cams, from game consoles to fully-automated coffee makers.
The company claims to offer its customers clear, fair, and reliable prices, both online and offline. It’s worth mentioning that MediaMarkt stores and online shops are popular shopping destinations in Germany, Spain, Italy, Turkey, and nine other countries in Europe.
Wehkamp (Overijssel, The Netherlands)
Wehkamp operates as an online retailer and home shopping company. With this platform, the company aims to offer personal convenience for customers, a diverse range of products, and a service that exceeds customer expectations. At present, Wehkamp has 400,000 different products from more than 2,000 brands in the field of fashion and living.
Main image picture credits: lev radin/Shutterstock
Stay tuned to Silicon Canals for more European technology news.
01
From port to startup fort: How Lars Crama is ‘Making it Happen’ in Rotterdam