Amazon Rebrands Souq In Middle East Launch

Amazon has rebranded Souq.com, which it bought for $580 million in 2017, to Amazon.ae in a Middle East marketplace launch, according to CNBC.

Souq.com will remain available in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, but a visit to the domain in any other location will be automatically rerouted to the new site.

“We are proud to announce that we are now Amazon.ae,” Amazon said in the new URL.

International sales have been slowing down for Amazon; its most recent quarter earnings show that they only grew 9 percent from last year, to $16.2 billion. The move will unify Amazon’s presence in the region, as it was previously only available through Souq. The new site will have the same seller back-end system that U.S. customers get, as well as Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).

Souq’s Co-Founder Ronaldo Mouchawar said the new service will sell upwards of 30 million items, “including those available on Souq and five million products from Amazon U.S.” There will also be an option to shop in Arabic.

In other Amazon news, Ford Motor Co. is teaming up with Amazon to allow for packages to be delivered to millions of vehicles. The offering will be available on some recent Ford and Lincoln models, Bloomberg reported.

Through the offering, delivery drivers can unlock cars and put packages in the back seat or trunk before locking the vehicle. The focus of the offering, according to the report, is to assuage shoppers’ concerns over leaving packages on front porches without any protection. It also offers Ford an additional opening as it dips its toes into online commerce.

The automaker is reportedly “in discussion” with grocers and other merchants to grow car delivery services. Lorin Kennedy, who heads up the FordPass unit, told the outlet, “I consider us open for business. With Amazon and the mobile washes as our first partners, we’re really ready to start bringing a lot more services to customers so they see the value of having a connected vehicle.”