Amazon gets competitive Shopify Selz

Amazon has bought Selz, a company that makes tools to help businesses launch their own online stores.

Amazon quietly acquired the e-commerce platform on Jan. 15, but did not advertise the build. Selz announced the deal in a company blog post.

“We have signed an agreement that Amazon will receive and we look forward to working with them as we continue to build user-friendly tools for entrepreneurs,” said Martin Rushe. , CEO and founder of Selz, in the blog post.

A spokesperson from Amazon confirmed the build. The spokesman declined to disclose the terms of the contract. Representatives from Selz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the past few months, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has joined Shopify, an e-commerce enabler that has seen its business skyrocket during the pandemic, as a competitor to consumers have turned to online retailers for both essential and non-essential products during the pandemic. .

Amazon previously operated a similar service to Shopify, called Amazon Webstore, which allowed small businesses to run online stores built on Amazon technology. However, the company closed Amazon Webstore in 2015.

Selz’s acquisition comes as Amazon’s third-party market, made up of more than 2.5 million sellers, continues to thrive. The sector now accounts for more than half of Amazon’s e-commerce sales and has helped Amazon generate higher revenue.

Providing SMEs with more tools to move their work online quickly could give it a competitive edge against the likes of Shopify and e-commerce software company BigCommerce.

Founded in 2013, Selz is based in Sydney, Australia, and provides a platform for SMEs to launch their own online stores and add online payment options the existing websites, among other tools. The company employs less than 50 people, according to LinkedIn.

In the blog post, Rushe said “nothing is changing” for Selz customers as a result of Amazon’s acquisition.