Amazon is a juggernaut – the massive company just keeps growing, and growing. Currently, it expanded to 12 global sites and now constitutes one of the single largest digital marketplaces in the world. That makes it particularly important for any e-tailer hoping to get their goods in front of a global audience, but there are a few things that you need to know beforehand. What might those be?

The Countries Where Amazon Is Present

You’ll find that Amazon is present in a very wide range of national marketplaces. Not only is this important for reaching customers in those areas, but also for reaching those in adjacent marketplaces where Amazon has yet to create a national site. Currently, the 12 national Amazon platforms include the following in no particular order:

1. Amazon China
2. Amazon Canada
3. Amazon Australia
4. Amazon UK
5. Amazon France
6. Amazon Germany
7. Amazon India
8. Amazon Italy
9. Amazon US
10. Amazon Spain
11. Amazon Mexico
12. Amazon Japan

From each of these platforms, you have direct access to that nation’s buyers. How does that really help you, though?

Homing in on Ideal Product Types

One of the most interesting benefits of using the various Amazon sites to reach individual national audiences is the fact that you can home in on product types that sell best in those nations. For instance, in Germany, footwear and clothing do well, as do books and consumer electronics. In contrast, Chinese buyers have an appetite for almost anything Western, and French consumers have more of a demand for clothing and shoes. Learning the demands of each individual national market will allow you to tailor your product offerings to that audience, which helps to maximize your profitability and promote success.

Beyond National Borders

There is also the fact that using most of these international Amazon sites means that you will have access to nearby areas in which Amazon does not have an official online presence. For instance, from Amazon Australia, you gain access to the New Zealand market, as well as most of the South Pacific outside of China.

From Amazon Mexico, you have access to Caribbean nations, as well as countries in Central and South America. From any of the European Amazon sites, you have access to all of them, at least those that are part of the EU, as there is a unified Amazon account that ensures you do not have to create separate seller accounts for each nation. Note that this is not the case for all countries, though. For instance, China does not have a unified account, so you will need to create a separate seller account there.

Diversify Brands

One of the more interesting aspects of selling across Amazon’s multinational platform is that you can choose to maintain the same brand, or you can diversify. Some sellers may choose to do both, as it can offer a range of benefits. What this essentially means is that you can maintain your core, existing brand, but then use private label/white label products to offer alternatives to your other product line.

In a perfect world, this would allow you to dominate several aspects of the market, which would be impossible with just a single brand. Of course, you will need to know a few things about using white label products to ensure that you’re able to target the right audience, create the right packaging and labeling collateral to build your new brand, and more.

Amazon is a massive, megalithic company that spans the world. Thanks to that growth, you can now build your own global ecommerce empire, as well.