Amazon to help local retailers grow their businesses online
As part of Enterprise Singapore’s Singapore E-Commerce Programme, Amazon is inviting local small and medium-sized (SME) retailers interested in making their products available to more customers and growing their businesses online, to sign up with Amazon.sg. Eligible small and medium businesses qualify for a one-time grant from Enterprise Singapore of up to S$9,000 per retailer over 6 months when they register to sell with Amazon.sg. The grant can be used to subsidise content development, product listing, channel management, fulfilment, advertising and promotion, trainings and workshops to help local retailers enhance their eCommerce capabilities and reach more customers in Singapore. Amazon is also offering participating local retailers a one year complimentary account management support, waiver of monthly subscription fees of S$29.90 per seller, waiver of fees for all deal exposure on Amazon.sg, and additional incentives from OCBC and AWS.
This comes on top of the benefits of selling on Amazon, which enables retailers to make their products easier to find and easier to buy. Retailers can enjoy participation in Amazon’s promotional campaigns, data analysis of sales on Amazon, access to training workshops, and access to over 200 innovative tools and features to help them manage their businesses effectively on Amazon. Interested SME retailers can find out more information here: https://services.amazon.sg/esg-e-commerce-booster-package.html
“Small businesses are a part of Amazon’s DNA and we are proud to collaborate with Enterprise Singapore on this initiative to help local retailers grow their business online and succeed in the long term. We remain committed to empowering retailers to sell their products on Amazon, reach more customers, and expand their business in Singapore,” said Bernard Tay, country leader, Amazon.sg Seller Services and head of Amazon Global Selling Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Alan Yeo, director for retail & design, Enterprise Singapore, said: “To remain competitive, retailers need to bring their businesses online. E-commerce enables retailers to diversify their revenue stream, expand their customer base and engage customers 24/7. This was already a growing consumer trend before Covid-19 and has become even more critical during the current period. It is a trend set to stay post Covid-19. We are pleased to have Amazon join us in our initiative to support our local retailers with their transformation efforts.”
One year complimentary Amazon account management support
Retailers who kick-start their online business with Amazon through the Singapore E-Commerce Programme will enjoy one year complimentary dedicated account management support. This includes guided registration, listing of products, and selection of fulfilment channels and tools on Amazon to promote and grow their businesses. Retailers will also benefit from payment processing and credit card fraud protection, promotional features that will help them get discovered more by customers, and reports and analytics to improve their business. In addition, Amazon can assist retailers in obtaining support from third-party service providers for various business management aspects, including tax advisory, financial management and trademark consultations.
Waiver of monthly subscription fees and fees for all deal exposure on Amazon.sg
From now until 31 December 2020, Amazon will waive monthly subscription fees of S$29.90 per seller. This offer is valid for all retailers, new and existing, who sell on Amazon.sg. Additionally for new local retailers, Amazon is waiving fees for all deal exposure on Amazon.sg, including Deals of the Day (featuring one-day deals on popular products), and Lightning Deals (limited-time promotions in which a limited number of discounts are offered on an item).
Additional incentives from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and OCBC
Amazon has teamed up with OCBC to offer two additional benefits for SMEs participating in the Programme: Firstly, the first 200 eligible OCBC SME customers will receive a one-time S$100 account rebate when they sign up to sell with Amazon.sg. Secondly, these SMEs will also receive S$1,500 in credit for AWS services for use within six months of launching on Amazon.sg. AWS offers reliable, scalable and inexpensive cloud computing services. Retailers can utilise the AWS credit for hosting mobile application or product landing page on Amazon.sg to drive further eCommerce growth.
“As part of our commitment to helping SMEs tide through this challenging period, we have been finding ways to encourage and enable them to operate online. Through this collaboration with Amazon, our customers will be able to kick-start their e-commerce business, which is not only essential for surviving the Circuit Breaker period, but will also be a welcome stream of revenue even after the crisis blows over,” said Melvyn Low, Head, Global Transaction Banking, OCBC Bank.
Grow and reach a global audience with Amazon
Beyond the Singapore E-Commerce Programme, local retailers can easily scale their business to reach a global audience through 16 other Amazon marketplaces around the world. Retailers who sign up with Amazon will be able to access Amazon Global Selling services to expand their footprint across borders, accessing over 150 million paid Prime members globally and hundreds of millions of active customer accounts worldwide. Being able to sell to a wider base allows retailers to build stronger brands online and grow their sales, offering them the viability to compete with the biggest brands locally and globally.
Scale swiftly with Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) service
Retailers who want to scale their business operations quickly and seamlessly can leverage the Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) service. FBA allows retailers to access Amazon’s warehouse capabilities such as housing inventory, picking and packing of products, and shipment of orders, thereby reducing additional operational resources. All FBA inventory is eligible for Prime FREE Shipping, which means Amazon will handle all returns and refunds, and 24/7 customer support. FBA listings are displayed with the Prime logo, so customers know that Amazon handles the fulfilment for the orders. When retailers utilise FBA with Amazon.sg, Amazon will take care of the customer delivery on their behalf, allowing retailers to focus on building their brands online and meeting their customers’ needs.
Registration
Interested retailers should meet the following criteria:
- Business entity is registered / incorporated in Singapore;
- Have a minimum of 30% local shareholding; and
- Group annual turnover should not exceed S$100m per annum based on the most recent audited report, or group employment should not exceed 200 employees.
Eligible local retailers will receive a one-time support of up to S$9,000 from Enterprise Singapore to defray 90% of eligible costs for up to 6 months.
Registration is open to local retailers who are new to Amazon.sg and sign up for the Programme, from now until 30 September 2020. Limited slots are available for the Programme.
To find out more about selling on Amazon and the Singapore eCommerce Programme, please visit: https://services.amazon.sg/esg-e-commerce-booster-package.html.
