Amazon has established its first officially branded Arabic website in the United Arab Emirates and is set to expand in the Middle East. Visitors to Souq.com are currently redirected to an entirely new website, Amazon.ae.
Souq, which was purchased by Amazon in 2017, Is the largest e-commerce platform in the Middle East. An Amazon executive told Gulf News that no deadline had been set on when Amazon will proceed to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern markets, but it is going to happen shortly.
The initiation of the new Middle East marketplace, which was first reported by CNBC in January, comes at a time of slowing global sales for Amazon. In its latest quarter, Amazon’s international sales only grew 9 percent from a year ago to $16.2 billion.
“Following Amazon’s acquisition of Souq, I want to offer you participation in a groundbreaking new sales project in the Middle East,” Amazon told in an invitation to a selection of sellers.
sellers say that Amazon is excited about getting cosmetic and beauty products like perfume, in addition to electronics, into both largest Middle East economies. In September, Amazon launched a local service in Turkey, Indicating the 17th worldwide site. Brian Olsavsky, The company’s finance chief, Said on the earnings call in October the Amazon is “very pleased” with the international business, although the “story is different country by country.”
For the time being, Amazon still lists dozens of job openings for Souq, with most of the positions in Cairo, Riyadh and Amman, Jordan. The business wants to employ software developers and seller managers.