Amazon Canada Announces Record Sales for Canadian Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in 2018

Over 30,000 Canadian small and medium-sized businesses collectively exceeded over $900 million* in sales on Amazon Canada's online stores in 2018

Canadian small and medium-sized businesses also achieved over $2 billion in sales to Amazon customers abroad in 2018

The most popular categories sold by Canadian small and medium-sized businesses in 2018 were PCs, Automotive, Home, Electronics and Home Entertainment

SEATTLE, April 30, 2019 /CNW/ - (NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon Canada today announced that over 30,000 Canadian small and medium-sized businesses from across the country collectively exceeded over $900 million in sales on Amazon.ca stores in 2018, including a 30% increase in sales year-over-year during the November-December holiday period.

Canadian small and medium-sized businesses achieved over $2 billion in sales in Amazon's stores to customers abroad in 2018, leveraging Amazon's sales tools and logistics services such as Fulfillment by Amazon to reach hundreds of millions of active customers worldwide. In 2018, 45% of the Canadian small and medium-sized businesses who sell in Amazon's stores also exported their products to the US, Europe and the rest of the world.

Canadian small and medium-sized businesses are thriving through partnerships with Amazon to grow and develop their businesses. In addition to providing tools that connect entrepreneurs with hundreds of millions of customers around the world, Amazon offers infrastructure, logistics and services designed to optimize the online sales experience. These include Fulfillment by Amazon, which manages all aspects of storage, shipping and customer care, along with tools that assist with brand analytics, advertising and more.

"Small and medium-sized businesses are the engine of the Canadian economy, and Amazon's customer obsession empowers entrepreneurs to reach new markets, reduce overhead, and access sophisticated online selling tools," said Alexandre Gagnon, Vice-President for Amazon Canada and Mexico. "Amazon had humble beginnings as a small business, and we know that that Canadian entrepreneurs also create economic opportunity and jobs on a much broader scale. Since Amazon opened our stores to selling partners in 2001, small and medium-sized businesses have been an integral part of Amazon's DNA, both complementing and competing with our own retail offering. It's a unique dynamic that is changing the way Canadians support local businesses."

"Amazon has revolutionized the online selling space for entrepreneurs: the service has connected us with markets that would have otherwise been out of reach, while helping grow our sales tenfold since 2016," said Tania Brassard, co-founder of GoWood, a Quebec-based business that offers high quality and stylish wooden sunglasses and phone cases. "Services like Fulfillment by Amazon have played a key role, allowing us to sell our products across Canada, the US, Europe, and - in the near future - Mexico. We also appreciate added benefits like Same Day Delivery and Two-Day Shipping, while being spared the expense of engaging a third-party warehouse or fulfillment centre."

"Thanks to Amazon, we were able to expand our customer base by 51% across North America in just six months," said Camille Dodd, partner at coffee company Café Liégeois. "Partnering with Amazon allows us to improve our customer targeting, and we're excited to announce that as of this summer, our capsules sold on Amazon.ca will become more eco-friendly and 100% compostable."

To view all tools and services available to help small and medium-sized businesses grow in Amazon's stores, visit  www.amazon.ca/sellonamazon.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

*All sales figures are in Canadian currency

SOURCE Amazon Canada

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