Amazon expands Prime Now’s international breadth

Amazon has introduced its same-day delivery service in its ninth country.



The online giant launched Prime Now in Singapore, giving Prime members free two-hour delivery on tens of thousands of items ordered through the Prime Now app. Merchandise ranges from grocery items like eggs, cold beer and ice cream to general merchandise, such as baby strollers, toys, and consumer electronics. This is Amazon’s debut in the Southeast Asian market.



Orders totaling $40 Singapore dollars or more are eligible for free two-hour delivery. For orders less than S$40, users pay a S$5.99 delivery fee. One hour deliveries will cost members S$9.99 per order.



Amazon is also giving non-members access to Prime Now on a trial basis. Shoppers using their Visa credit card will receive S$20 off their first Prime Now order for a limited time. Customers without a Visa card can get S$10 off their first order.



“We are excited to introduce the busy people in Singapore to this con-venient, ultra-fast delivery solution to get more time back to do the things they love,” said Aarif Nakhooda, director of Prime Now Asia-Pacific.



Since launching in December 2014 in New York, Prime Now has ex-panded to more than 50 cities in nine countries. These include Berlin, London, Madrid, Rome and Tokyo, among others.



The launch also positions Amazon to steal some wallet share from Chinese e-commerce rival Alibaba. However, the Asian company is going to give Amazon a run for its money as it makes its own moves in the marketplace.



Alibaba recently invested in Lazada, a regional e-commerce company. The investment expands Alibaba's global footprint in markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It also makes it accessible to approximately 23 million active buyers on the Lazada platform, according to CNBC.