Amazon, the retail giant, has announced the launch of its new standalone shopping app Amazon Bazaar, a cost-effective option for consumers and available in over a dozen markets. The app follows Amazon Haul, which launched last November as a competitor to Shein and Temu.
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Amazon Bazaar offers a separate shopping platform, independent of the main Amazon app, offering products at low prices. According to the company, most products on the app cost less than $10, with some available for as little as $2.
The app is available for Android and iOS, expanding Amazon Haul’s product selection to new markets. Rather than being integrated as part of Amazon.com or the main app, products will be available through their own app. Initially, the app is available in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Nigeria.
Amazon says more markets will gain access to the app in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Amazon Haul, as part of Amazon's main website and app, will remain available in its existing markets, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Australia.
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Bazaar, the name given to this collection of low-cost products in select other markets, remains available in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates as part of the company's main website.
The move to create a standalone shopping platform for its cheaper inventory shows Amazon is stepping up competition with Chinese low-cost shopping apps such as Temu, Shein and TikTok (TikTok Shop), which have gained widespread acceptance among younger users and others who don't have as much disposable income to spend on clothing, decor, electronics and other household items.
The Amazon Bazaar app will offer these users “hundreds of thousands” of affordable products in categories like fashion, home goods and lifestyle products. Product pages will feature familiar Amazon features like customer reviews and star ratings.
Shipments take about 2 weeks or less, returns are free within 15 days of receipt, and Amazon offers multilingual customer support. The Amazon Bazaar app supports six languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, and Traditional Chinese.
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The app will also engage customers with interactive features like social raffles and promotions — things that Chinese shopping apps have made popular. New customers will also get a 50% discount on their first delivery as an incentive to try the app.
