In addition to direct delivery, Amazon is also supporting 3,000 pickup points at launch.
According to its pickup location search tool, it has partnered with Pargo and The Courier Guy (including Pudo).
Amazon said the offer of free delivery is only available for products fulfilled by Amazon. Orders above R500 also enjoy free delivery.
Customers will receive status updates about their orders on WhatsApp, with support 24-hour support available via phone, email, and live chat.
Amazon.co.za promises hassle-free returns within 30 days. Customers returning items can choose from several options, including home pickup and self-drop.
In addition to offering brands such as Apple, Sony, HP, LEGO, Chicco, Maybelline, Pampers, Neutrogena, and Johnson’s, the South African marketplace will also include local brands.
These include independent South African sellers such as Amanda-Jayne, King Kong Leather, Masodi, Tiger Lily, and Nomakade.
Amazon has also partnered with South African non-profit goGOGOgo to offer customers the opportunity to package eligible products in handmade gift bags.
Amazon officially announced the pending launch of its South African marketplace in October 2023, although it had been an open secret for more than a year at that point.
MyBroadband first reported that Amazon was looking for warehouse space in South Africa in January 2022.
Then, in June, Business Insider reported that it had seen leaked documents confirming that the e-commerce and cloud computing giant plans to launch third-party marketplaces in South Africa and Nigeria.
Amazon’s Prime membership programme would also reportedly be available in South Africa shortly after launch.
Codenamed “Project Fela”, Amazon had planned to launch in South Africa by February and in Nigeria by April 2023.
However, well-placed sources told MyBroadband sister publication Daily Investor in January that the Nigerian launch had been paused and the South African marketplace delayed.
Mass lay-offs at Amazon called into question whether the South African marketplace would go ahead at all. However, sources close to Amazon’s South African operations said the company still planned to launch.
MyBroadband also learned that Amazon is in discussions with courier companies and local fast-moving consumer goods retailers.
Further confirming that it was launching a local marketplace, Amazon advertised two management-level jobs for the “ZA marketplace” in August 2022.
These were for a strategic accounts manager and a general manager.
Last October, Amazon Sub-Saharan Africa region general manager Robert Koen said they would launch in 2024. He did not provide a launch date.
Koen is a South African-born executive who has been with Amazon for nearly nine years.
“[We look forward to] providing local sellers, brand owners, and entrepreneurs – small and large – the opportunity to grow their business with Amazon, and delivering great value and a convenient shopping experience for customers across South Africa,” said Koen.
