Amazon expands in the Middle East with its first Arabic language site: Amazon.ae

The successful Amazon marketplace announced Wednesday, May 1, the launch of its first Arabic site, Amazon.ae, in the United Arab Emirates, under the Amazon brand. It will replace Souq.com, acquired in 2017 by the e-commerce giant.

Souq becomes Amazon

Amazon.ae now replaces Souq.com

Amazon confirmed on Wednesday its interest in the growth of the online sales market in the Middle East, with the announcement of the launch of Amazon.ae, a website developed entirely in Arabic in the United Arab Emirates, under the Amazon brand.

In 2017, the growing e-commerce platform had already bought Dubai-based Souq.com for $ 580 million. A boon to make themselves known to the Arab world, and to sensitize a new public.

Since last Wednesday, Souq.com has been replaced by Amazon.ae, available in Arabic on the application and on the website. This new site has 30 million products already on the Souq platform and 5 million new items, ranging from prayer rugs to household appliances, including the most popular local snacks, convenient to order during Ramadan. Customers can also access Amazon products sold in the United States.

The Souq.com brand will however be kept for the moment in other Middle Eastern countries, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The trend of e-commerce is accentuated in the Middle East

Amazon wants to anticipate the rise of Noon.com , a start-up launched in 2017 with the support of the Saudi public investment fund, as well as local European, Indian and Chinese merchant sites, which are beginning to see a dawn a thriving new market for online sales in the Middle East. With Amazon.ae, the e-commerce giant wants to maintain its leadership position, while continuing its global rise.

Up to 5 years ago, large shopping centers, very popular with locals, still left little space for e-commerce enthusiasts in the Middle East. But the trend has been changing in the past two years.

Thanks to Souq.com, Amazon has succeeded in establishing itself as the best e-commerce distributor in the Middle East, winning half of the market share in the United Arab Emirates, and a quarter of share market in Saudi Arabia, far ahead of Noon.com and its 5% market share.

Thanks to its new site Amazon.ae, there is no doubt that the marketplace is still gaining ground on a global scale. One more reason to set up your business on Amazon, and take advantage of its growing global market.

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