The e-commerce scene in Singapore is already sporting some competition, and it seems things will continue to heat up as Amazon makes its move onto local shores. Enter Amazon.sg, the newest venture by the industry giant that offers customers easier purchasing access to its ever-growing list of products.
With categories spanning across Books, Video Games, Consumer Electronics, Baby and Toys, and Home and Kitchen, the online platform has been made available on desktop, mobile browser, and in the form of a shopping app. Naturally, this means more Amazon goodness is in store for the local shoppers, who can look forward to enjoying various benefits.
#1. Free delivery and shipping privileges
Free is always good, but it does come at a price. With Amazon.sg, customers are entitled to free delivery on eligible orders over S$40 within two to three days, while Amazon Prime subscribers will receive free one-day delivery on local selection without a minimum spend, as well as free international shipping on eligible orders over S$60 for Amazon International Store products.
The time to bid farewell to expensive international shipping fees has come! For faster services, there’s also the option of forking out S$2.99 to facilitate a one-day delivery.
#2. Deals, deals, and more deals
There’s nothing like ushering in a new initiative with a great host of deals – something that Amazon is looking to implement into everyday functionality. Both iconic international brands like Bose, Fisher-Price, LEGO, and L’Oreal, and Singapore business are set to feature affordable prices. Book lovers, meanwhile, are treated to a selection of books from Book Depository and Amazon’s very own library.
Example of discounted prices at launch are as follows:
- Up to 30% off on consumer electronics including Bose, Sonos, and Fitbit.
- Up to 20% off on newly-released video games.
- Up to 30% off on selected toys, including top board games, LEGO, and Nerf.
- Up to 30% off on selected baby products, including Phillips Avent, and Maxi Cosi.
- Up to 25% off on book bestsellers and a range of children’s books.
Deals galore, indeed!
Oddly, DVDs and Blu-rays are completely excluded from Amazon.sg’s offerings, for now.
#3. The best of Prime membership
Being an Amazon Prime subscriber means having access to the best perks. Apart from the delivery and shipping privileges tied to Prime Now (as mentioned earlier), members also get the benefit of 30-minute early access to deals and promotions, alongside exclusive offerings to award-winning Amazon Originals and popular titles, including Good Omens, The Man in the High Castle, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and more.
For the gamers, Twitch Prime will have various free in-game loot, channel subscriptions, and more up for grabs. In this sense, Amazon Prime is the best bet for offering the best of two worlds, with options spanning across the shopping and entertainment departments.
#4. Kindle e-readers are already available on Amazon.sg
Amazon’s range of own Alex, Echo and Fire products are currently not available on Amazon.sg via the international store at the time of reporting. However, there are already six Kindle e-readers available, with free shipping for Prime members.
As for the future availability of the other Amazon devices, we’ll just have to wait and see if it eventually gets made available to Singapore customers.
#5. The difference between Amazon.sg and the Prime Now app
The difference between Amazon.sg and the Prime Now can be considered in three parts: access, selection and delivery. All customers can access Amazon.sg, regardless of whether or not they are a Prime member, and shop on desktop and mobile. Prime Now is a shopping service exclusive to Prime members and available only on mobile app.
With Amazon.sg, we want to provide what customers have been asking us for: the ability for everyone to shop on desktop and mobile, more local and international selection from Amazon and trusted sellers, paired with fast and reliable delivery. Prime Now, on the other hand, continues to be the fastest way for Prime members to get their groceries, household essentials for everyday needs, and the best of Amazon.
Henry Low, Country Manager of Amazon Singapore
Existing Prime Now members will notice that the Prime Now SG app’s “International” tab has moved out to the main Amazon shopping app now.
#6. Support for local businesses
An element that’s unique to Amazon.sg, the latter lends support to small- and medium-sized businesses, who will be able to sell their products on Amazon. Amazon will offer selling partners access to easy listing tools, payment processing, credit card fraud protection and promotional features to help them get discovered by customers. There will also be reports and analytics to help sellers improve their sales.
Now that we’ve gotten the lowdown out of the way, it’s time to get down to some online shopping! We managed to pick out a few toys at great prices that qualify for free shipping to Singapore for Prime members:
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Natalie
