Amazon Prime Now: Can Singapore deliver?
The chief executive of its regional rival says Amazon Prime Now is just days away from the city state, and the epic battle for market share could soon reshape the way all of Southeast Asia shops for almost everything
“It’s going to be a siege.”
That’s one expert’s view of the battle looming ahead for Singapore’s brick-and-mortar retailers as e-commerce giants prime the Lion City as a key staging ground in their fight for Asian supremacy.
Social media was abuzz this week amid rising speculation that Amazon Prime Now – the US-based online retail behemoth’s two-hour delivery service – will soon be available in the city state.
Amazon has been gradually rolling out the service outside of its home market, but has kept mum on its plans for Singapore and Southeast Asia. The company did not respond to This Week in Asia’s queries on the matter.
The rumour mill started churning a week earlier after the chief executive of Lazada, the Alibaba-controlled Southeast Asian e-retailer, told a public forum that Prime Now would be available starting May 28. “They’ve been delayed a few times, but maybe they’ll get it right this time,” said Max Bittner as quoted on the technology website Tech in Asia in a public forum. Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post.
