E-TALY: American e-commerce giant Amazon has launched a new marketplace store dedicated to Italian craftsmanship on its Italian and U.K Web sites, to be followed by the U.S. in the coming weeks.
Currently, 5,000 products from 150 Italian artisans, including 100 from Florence, are offered in the new store, named Made in Italy, to 285 million Amazon customers worldwide. The selection includes handmade jewelry, ceramics and unique leather garments, which will also be customizable in the future.
According to Francois Saugier, EU director of Amazon marketplace, Made in Italy is one of the most popular and sought after brands worldwide and an own marketplace seemed only fitting.
“During the last 12 months, the number of Italian companies that exported their products with Amazon grew by more than 90 percent,” he said and added that revenues exceeded 133 million euro, or $149 million at average exchange rate, only from export sales.
The new store was inaugurated during a press conference in Florence on Oct. 5 at the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio in attendance of Florence’s mayor Dario Nardella and Francois Nuyts, country manager of Amazon Italy and Spain.
“We are proud to be the first to present the typical products of our artisan culture to the wide customer base of Amazon,” Nardella said and added that the shop is a well-deserved opportunity to reach a wider audience, allowing growth for the Tuscan businesses.
So far, the city of Florence and its artisans are the main participator in the marketplace, but more Italian regions are to follow, according to Nuyts. “The city of Florence is a pioneer of a project that will involve more and more the other Italian regions, contributing to growth in Italy,” Nuyts said.
