Amazon has advertised 50 full-time positions and one seasonal job opening in South Africa, with many of the roles connected to its plans to introduce a marketplace in the country.
The e-commerce giant is hiring a customer service lead for its South African branch, a B-BBEE senior program manager, a transportation and fulfilment manager, and various vendor and supply chain-related positions.
On 17 October 2023, Amazon announced it would launch Amazon.co.za in 2024, allowing South African merchants to reach customers nationwide.
In its announcement, Amazon stated that over 60% of sales on its platform come from independent sellers, particularly those that are small and medium-sized businesses.
“Starting today, independent sellers in South Africa can register their businesses on the [Amazon seller portal],” it stated.
Robert Koen, Amazon’s general manager for the Sub-Saharan Africa region, said the company looks forward to launching in South Africa.
“[We look forward to] providing local sellers, brand owners, and entrepreneurs – small and large – the opportunity to grow their business with Amazon and deliver great value and a convenient shopping experience for customers across South Africa,” he said.
The launch of the online marketplace has been rumoured for several years, but the company’s entrance into the country has faced several snags, from a challenging global tech environment to legal challenges at its Cape Town office.
Despite this, Amazon noted that its launch in 2024 will provide independent sellers throughout the country an opportunity to rapidly launch, grow, and scale their businesses while leveraging the innovative capabilities provided by Amazon.
The group will face stiff competition from local online marketplace, Takealot.com, which has had time to prepare for the launch and has repeatedly welcomed the competition.
Amazon will also find itself beholden to competition requirements and constraints recently imposed by the Competition Commission through its market inquiry, which the commission explicitly stated would apply to any new entrants to the South African online marketplace space, including Amazon.
The table below summarises some of the latest positions available at Amazon in South Africa. The number of open posts per category is provided in brackets.
