Amazon launches another marketplace: Amazon Business

Amazon is launching a new marketplace: Amazon Business. Here, business shoppers can order a wide range of items and get their products delivered in two days for free if an order costs more than 45 euros. It’s seems like a very logical step for Amazon, who says millions of business customers have purchased billions of dollars of goods on the regular Amazon.com website in the past year.

Amazon Business is launched by Amazon today, with the slogan “everything you love about Amazon, for your business”. It says the new marketplace takes the best of Amazon and tailors it to the needs of businesses. Single or multi-user business accounts can be created for free. “Amazon Business sells everything from IT and lab equipment to education and food service supplies, as well as business-only selection and pricing”, the press release states.

Prentis Wilson, vice president of Amazon Business, says how they have heard from business customers that they love the convenience of shopping online, and want an experience at work that is similar to how they shop at home.

It’s not the first time Amazon has focused on B2B ecommerce. It started AmazonSupply three years ago, but this service has been shut down, now Amazon Business has launched. Customers who visit AmazonSupply.com after May 13 will be redirected to the Amazon homepage.

Amazon to compete with Staples
With Amazon Business, Amazon is directly competing with office supply retailers like Staples, that also launched a B2B marketplace and acquired its competitor Office Depot last month. Staples is betting big on market share in Europe, as it last year launched dedicated ecommerce sites in several European countries, like Norway, Sweden, Denmark, France and Belgium. Amazon will also be competing with Chinese ecommerce platform Alibaba, that has long counted B2B sales as part of its business.