Exclusive interview: Country Manager of Amazon in Brazil
By Leda Cavalcanti
In 2020, Amazon was at the top of the world’s 500 most valuable companies for the third year in a row, according to the report published annually by Brand Finance. According to the document, the brand was valued at US$ 220.7 billion, an increase of 17.5% in relation to 2019, an advance mainly driven by cloud computing and streaming and retail services.
A pioneer in e-commerce and e-books, Amazon was born in Seattle, USA, with engineer Jeff Bezos, a former Wall Street analyst, who decided to start his own business in his garage in July 1994. At a time when the internet market was new. Amazon arrived in Brazil eight years ago, initially selling digital books. In 2017, it opened its marketplace format in the country and increased the product categories, including electronics.
The company has been collecting victories in the domestic market. Amazon Prime was the streaming that grew the most in the country, mainly due to Disney content. Alexa, its virtual assistant, announced in 2014, has become one of the most popular items in Brazil. In addition, it increased its capillarity with new distribution centers.
“Today we offer more than 30 million products in more than 30 categories on our website.”
Investing in customers, as well as creating and rethinking strategies, is part of the company’s daily routine. “In the countries where Amazon operates, we established a long-term commitment and do not make wrong decisions based on the results of the month or the quarter. This allows us to continue innovating and developing services and products for consumers”, says the country manager in this interview.
What has defined Amazon since its foundation?
ALEX SZAPIRO – Amazon wants to be the most consumer-focused company in the world. We constantly focus on customers, their needs and aspirations, and work from front to back, that is, creating the right inputs to ensure that results happen. We try to remain faithful to the spirit that gave birth to Amazon and, therefore, we say that we are on Day 1 and work with the same diligence. In the countries where company operates, we established a long-term commitment and do not make wrong decisions based on the results of the month or the quarter. This allows us to continue innovating and developing services and products for consumers
How did the company grow in the country?
AS – Amazon Brasil was launched in 2012, with e-books and Kindle e-readers. At the time, the catalog had 1.4 million e-books, 13 thousand in Portuguese. In 2014, Amazon launched the physical book retail operation, with more than 150,000 titles in Portuguese. In April 2017, it brought the book marketplace and, in October of that year, it introduced electronics to the marketplace, with more than 110 thousand products. The expansion of the marketplace was followed by several categories throughout 2017 and 2018.
“We seek to offer an excellent shopping experience, which becomes better and better. And with this premise, we brought programs like Programe & Poupe. (Program & Save)”
When did retail expansion take place?
AS – In January 2019, retail expanded, and we started selling and delivering more than 120,000 new items, including four new product categories plus 200,000 printed books that were already sold and delivered by Amazon. That month, we also announced a new 47,000 m² distribution center in Cajamar, in Greater São Paulo. In September 2019, we announced Amazon Prime in Brazil, a program that offers an unparalleled combination of the best shopping experience with excellent digital entertainment benefits. Since then, Prime has registered in Brazil the biggest growth in number of subscribers among all the countries where it was launched. Today we offer more than 30 million products in more than 30 categories on our website.
How does Amazon see competition in the Brazilian market?
AS – We spend very little time paying attention to what the competition is doing. Our focus is always the consumer. We seek to offer an excellent shopping experience, which becomes better and better. And with this premise, we brought programs like Programe & Poupe (Program & Save). It is a way for the consumer to schedule his purchases of essential items in the amazon.com.br and, thus, not having to worry about replacing these items — besides guaranteeing 10% discounts on the products that are part of the program. Amazon Prime seeks to make customer lives easier and more fun every day. Offers free shipping on thousands of selected items, fast delivery (up to two days to more than 450 cities in Brazil), exclusive discounts and promotions, as well as giving access to award-winning movies and series, from Originais Amazon, in Prime Video, to more than 2 million songs on Prime Music, in addition to e-books with Prime Reading and games on Prime Gaming.
How many distribution centers does Amazon have in Brazil, in which states?
AS – Today we have eight distribution centers. Four of them are in the State of São Paulo, one in the Federal District, one in Minas Gerais, one in Rio Grande do Sul and one in Pernambuco.
Source: Eletrolar News Magazine 139
