Rumours of Amazon launching in the Nordic marketplace have been swirling for years. Last week, Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Sweden, though a target date is yet to be confirmed. Currently, Swedish customers can shop from Amazon's other European locales, such as Amazon.de or Amazon.fr. But with products being shipped from elsewhere on the continent, delivery is often cost-prohibitive.
Selling on Amazon Europe
On 4 August 2020, an announcement appeared on Seller Central letting sellers know of the expansion plans:
Amazon currently has more than 30 fulfillment centres spread across seven European countries. The latest being Amazon.nl in the Netherlands, which fully launched in 2020 after an October 2019 announcement. From announcement to launch, it took about six months. With the recent COVID-19 challenges on top of usual logistics, it may be many months before the marketplace is fully online. It is likely the launch will not be until after the Christmas shopping period for 2020.
“We are optimistic that, by focusing on the things we believe customers will place the greatest emphasis on — low prices, a wide range and fast deliveries — we will eventually be able to win the trust of Swedish customers,” Alex Ootes, vice president for EU Expansion at Amazon said. Reuters quotes Ootes as saying: “The next step is to introduce a complete retail offering in Sweden and that is what we plan to do now."
A complete retail offering would likely mean warehouses and distribution set up in Sweden. As reported in Seller Central, you may sell in Amazon Sweden with the same Professional selling or referral fees as existing locales, once available.
Challenges when selling in Sweden
While there is no date for the launch (Amazon.se currently still points customers to Amazon.de), there are some specific challenges when adding Sweden as a marketplace. Pan-European Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and European Fulfillment Network (EFN) programs will have to content with the Swedish Krona. Though Sweden is a part of the EU, they use their own currency (much like the UK chose not to adopt the Euro). Currency support and language support will be a consideration for merchants looking to sell in Amazon Sweden.
Likewise, while this addition to Amazon Europe may suggest even more access to neighboring Scandinavian countries, it may be more complicated. Sweden's neighbor Finland is in the EU, but Norway is not. Sweden is also in proximity to Denmark, an EU country that likely already shops much easier from Amazon Germany than its northern neighbors.
For integrated support or questions on expanding to other marketplaces, translation services, and more, please contact us at eCommerce Nurse.
