US retail giant Amazon.com Inc launched operations in Turkey on Wednesday, the company’s Turkey team said in a statement on its new Turkish website.
“Today, we are excited to offer millions of products to Turkish customers with more than a thousand local dealers,” the statement said.
The company has launched its new domain at www.amazon.com.tr for Turkish customers.
“We are aware that we must work hard to meet high expectations of our customers,” the statement added.
Earlier in April, it was reported that Amazon would also open its own warehouse and office in Turkey.
E-commerce on the rise in Turkey
Turkey is one of the world’s important e-commerce centers with more than 46 million internet users and around 60 percent internet penetration, according to official figures.
The country’s e-commerce volume was $4.8 billion in 2016, and it was estimated to be around $6.3 billion in 2017, according to numbers by the Informatics Industry Association (TUBISAD).
An 30-35 percent increase in the e-commerce sector is expected in Turkey this year, another trade group, the Association of E-commerce Operators (ETID), said in February.
Turkey’s e-commerce companies have employed around 200,000 people in various areas, such as digital marketing, information technology, and logistics.
The Turkish retail market has been dominated by several online services like Gitti Gidiyor, a subsidiary of the US-based eBay, Hepsiburada and Trendyol, which is associated with Chinese online shopping platform Alibaba.
“We are committed to building our business in Turkey in the coming months by expanding our selection and delivery options,” Sam Nicols, country manager for Amazon.com.tr said on Wednesday.
The trillion dollar club
Amazon saw its market cap reach $1 trillion in early September, and it has become the second company in history to reach that milestone after the world’s most valuable firm, Apple.
The e-commerce giant saw a net income of $2.5 billion in the second quarter – a record high for any quarter by the company.
The company’s founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, also saw his net worth increase from $2.6 billion to just over $157 billion.
Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 as an online bookstore, and made it the biggest Internet retailer in the world in revenue and market value in 24 years.
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