This year has a lot of promise for entrepreneurs, especially those who are entering or expanding their businesses in the e-commerce space. With brands such as Amazon South Africa backing independent sellers, SMEs can leverage the opportunity and grow with ease.
Speaking to Robert Koen, Managing Director of Amazon Sub-Saharan Africa (Amazon South Africa), he shared why making the platform has proven to be a valuable addition to sellers from micro, small, and medium businesses in South Africa.
“More than 60% of the items sold globally in Amazon’s store are from independent sellers – most of which are small- and medium-sized businesses – providing an amazing selection, value, and convenience for customers,” Koen explains. “Amazon provides independent sellers and retailers – regardless of the size of their business – with access to powerful tools, services, and programmes to drive their business growth.”
Multiple Income Streams for SMEs
“The launch of Amazon in South Africa provides independent sellers, small and large, throughout the country, an opportunity to build and scale their businesses by selling in our store. Together, we’ve brought creativity, innovation, and economic opportunity to entrepreneurs of all sizes and their communities,” he notes.
“Amazon’s marketplace empowers entrepreneurs to build diversified income streams cost-effectively. Sellers can start small, test multiple product categories, and scale efficiently through Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), which allows Amazon to handle operational complexities as their business grows. The marketplace supports various business models, including sellers’ own brands and wholesale. Once established, sellers can expand globally, reaching customers across international marketplaces without establishing a physical presence, all while Amazon manages fulfilment and logistics to help them focus on growing their business.
Enabling Business Through Powerful Tools
Koen highlights that Amazon South Africa provides sellers with powerful tools that span their selling experience. “These include how we help sellers research and design compelling products, create effective product listings (with more features being added throughout 2026), drive efficient advertising and marketing to get their products discovered, build brands with enduring customer loyalty, reach customers across the country and around the globe, and so much more. These innovations provide small businesses with powerful capabilities that leverage our innovations and scale, while also helping sellers save time and money.”
Furthermore, Koen elaborates on how Amazon’s fulfilment service helps SMEs to grow. “With our Fulfilment by Amazon service, independent sellers let Amazon handle fulfilment, picking, packing, and shipping products to customers around the world, while also handling returns and customer service.
“Other tools that help independent sellers grow their online presence include easy onboarding tools, payment processing solutions, Seller University and Webinars, and promotional features to help their products get discovered by customers, as well as reports and analytics to improve sales.”
A few examples of the tools sellers have access to are:
Business Tools: Sellers gain access to marketing and advertising tools, including sponsored products, Amazon Brand Stores, promotions, and analytics that help drive traffic and sales. The store provides integrated services for payment processing, logistics management, and customer data insights.
Account Health: According to Koen, Amazon continues to invest in – and improve on – assisting our sellers through clearer communications, faster response times, clearer indication of policy violations, and more. Sellers have direct contact with our account managers to ask questions, get guidance to support their selling experience on Amazon.co.za.
Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA): Sellers can choose from various easy and stress-free fulfilment strategies when shipping orders to customers, including Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), whereby they send their products to Amazon’s fulfilment centre and let Amazon take care of the rest.
Educational Resources: Amazon has launched Seller Education programs specifically for South Africa, combining live webinars with on-demand learning through Seller University. This portal provides practical guidance and market-specific knowledge tailored to South African sellers at every stage of their business journey.
Strategic Support: The Strategic Seller Program provides account-managed support for qualifying sellers, ensuring a smooth launch experience and ongoing guidance.
“With the recent advances in generative AI, we have continued to transform every aspect of the selling experience,” he adds. “These changes are allowing sellers to automatically generate product listings, images, videos, and creative campaigns. Our new tools enhance the seller’s business to capitalise on the latest trends and changes in shopping behaviours.”
Koen also shared that entrepreneurs using Amazon.co.za have an exclusive opportunity this year. “Until 31 December 2026, South African sellers pay only R1 for a Professional selling account, saving R4 800 in annual subscription fees. Sellers also benefit from a 5% flat referral fee across all categories. Additionally, when choosing our world-class FBA fulfilment option, they benefit from free storage and pick-and-pack fees, as well as 90% discount on inbound shipments to our fulfilment centres.”
Busting Common E-commerce Myths
Based on his experience, Koen dispels the following common e-commerce myths.
Myth: “It’s too complicated to start”
Reality: Modern e-commerce marketplaces provide step-by-step guidance, educational resources, and automated tools that simplify the process. Amazon’s Seller University offers hundreds of hours of free educational content specifically designed for beginners.
Myth: “You need significant capital to begin”
Reality: Unlike traditional retail, online marketplaces allow entrepreneurs to start small and scale gradually. FBA eliminates the need for warehouse space, and sellers can begin with limited inventory.
Myth: “You need advanced technology skills”
Reality: E-commerce marketplaces provide intuitive interfaces and comprehensive support, minimising technical barriers. Amazon also offers additional support to qualifying businesses through dedicated account managers who assist every step of the way.
Myth: “Success requires full-time commitment”
Reality: Many successful sellers start part-time, using automated tools and fulfilment services to manage operations efficiently. The flexibility of e-commerce allows entrepreneurs to build businesses around existing commitments.
Myth: “You’re dependent on one channel”
Reality: Research shows SMEs typically sell through multiple channels – their own websites and various e-commerce marketplaces – diversifying risk and maximising reach.
SMEs who are attempting to enter the e-commerce space can leverage the opportunity that Amazon South Africa provides to local entrepreneurs. It allows them to grow their reach and slowly gain traction at their own pace.
