Amazon began selling its Kindle electronic book reader in Brazil - IBLNEWS

Amazon began selling its Kindle electronic book reader in Brazil on Friday, tiptoeing in the retail business more challenging but more e-commerce market Latin America.

When making their electronic readers across this country of continental dimensions, Amazon will experience firsthand the logistical problems of Brazil, considered an obstacle to an extensive operation retail as it has in the United States.

The largest online store in the world launched online bookstore in Brazil in December 2012, a form of low-risk land in the emerging e-commerce market of 11,000 million annually. So far, the Kindle is only sold in bookstores, appliance stores and kiosks in malls.

“From north to south, from east to west, now we will be delivering products in Brazil,” said Alex Szapiro a exejecutivo Apple hired to direct the landing of Amazon in Brazil.

“We learn from everything we do,” he said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. “I learn about digital books, learn about Brazilian consumers and from tomorrow we will learn how to move products from point A to point B”.

Asked if the sale of Kindle was a dress rehearsal for greater retail operation, Szapiro said both decisions were not connected.

“No talk about future plans,” he said repeatedly during the interview.

With a growing middle class and a Internet penetration remains low, Brazil has become a promising new frontier for Internet giants like Facebook, Twitter and Amazon.

The research firm estimates the market EBIT Brazilians spent 28,000 million reais (about 8.600 billion) online in 2013, or 25 percent more than the previous year.

But the largest economy in Latin America is also known for its high taxes, stifling their labor costs and logistics bottlenecks that become e-commerce scenario challenging for newcomers.

Unlike in the U.S., where Amazon operates its own distribution network from giant warehouses, Szapiro said in Brazil Kindle delegate shipments to outside firms, who declined to identify.

“Logistics in Brazil on one side can be a challenge, but from the point of view of electronic commerce Brazil is a very advanced country” said the executive. “Some companies really prepared for that.”

The Kindle Paperwhite be sold through local Amazon site to 479 reais, or almost double the price in the United States.

Amazon has been under pressure to try to maintain its growth by investing heavily in its retail and distribution networks around the world, and expand into the world of technology with the Kindle, the cloud computing services and media products online.

The company does not disclose figures on its operation in Brazil. But total international sales increased 14 percent to 29,900 million in 2013.

Szapiro said Amazon will initially offer free delivery of the Kindle and will allow consumers to pay in 12 installments without extra charge, a common practice in the Brazilian consumer market shows how far the company is willing to go.

“That’s news to Amazon,” he said, “but it is mandatory in Brazil.”

“How much of this will be able to use in the future I do not know?” he added, “because we’re launching tomorrow is a different operation: an operation of physical sale”