Amazon has official Dutch launch, with “100 million products”

As of today, customers in the Benelux can visit amazon.nl for a range of more than one hundred million products in more than thirty categories. Before today, amazon.nl only sold books and Kindles; the Dutch had to go to the German site for the full product range.

Free delivery from 20 euros

That is changing today: the offer on amazon.nl now includes a mix of Dutch brands (such as Friesland Campina, Hunkemöller, Philips, Rituals and Scotch & Soda) and major international brands (such as Bosch, Bose, Hasbro, Lego, Mattel and Samsung). Orders over twenty euros are delivered for free.

Moreover, a local version of Amazon’s Prime subscription also starts today: Dutch members can use free fast delivery of millions of products, unlimited streaming of thousands of popular films and series, free games and in-game content with Twitch Prime and unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos. The range also includes local titles such as Jiskefet and Bon Bini Holland 2. Customers can try Prime for free for 30 days and then become a member for 2.99 euros per month.

Local sales partners

Country manager Roeland Donker says today is “just the start” of Amazon.nl, expecting a daily expansion of the product range. He emphasises that the company wants to work closely with local sales partners, and that thousands of Dutch sellers are already offering their products for sale on Amazon.nl. “Small and medium-sized businesses that sell through Amazon already create an estimated 1.6 million jobs worldwide and we hope that Dutch companies will fare just as well.”

The arrival of the internet giant to the Netherlands with a complete offer had been long expected. With the launch of this local web platform, the e-commerce landscape in the Benelux is changing radically. Local web shops are confronted with a competitor, local entrepreneurs have a new sales platform. This move may give the local e-commerce a big boost… or let it go bust.