The news: Amazon Haul is now available to shoppers in the UK and Saudi Arabia, according to a LinkedIn post from Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of selling partner services. The international expansion comes amid uncertainty about Haul’s US fate.
The details: While Amazon declined to provide color on Haul’s performance during its latest earnings call, Mehta cited “great customer enthusiasm for Haul’s combination of ultra-low prices, wide selection, and fun shopping experience” in the few months since launch. The retailer is betting that consumers in international markets will respond similarly, especially as global uncertainty drives shoppers to be more budget-conscious.
As in the US, Haul is capping prices—£20 ($25.56) in the UK, SAR 90 ($23.99) in Saudi Arabia—to keep its service affordable (not to mention stay competitive with Shein, Temu, and other ultra-cheap marketplaces).
- To encourage shoppers to buy more, Amazon is offering discounts of 5% on orders over £50 ($63.89) and 10% on purchases exceeding £75 ($95.83).
- But there’s an opportunity cost with cheap products: Orders can take as long as two weeks to arrive, and customers have just 15 days to request a free return. Only purchases over £15 ($19.17) qualify for free delivery; the rest are subject to a £2.99 ($3.82) flat rate.
Our take: In many ways, Haul is an ideal product for the current landscape. Its ultra-low price point—in theory—positions it to benefit from shoppers’ incessant searches for cheap dupes of brand-name products and growing price sensitivities amid slumping consumer confidence.
However, whether it will succeed will depend on how hard Amazon is willing to push—and how much the company is prepared to spend on marketing to drive shopper awareness. Its reluctance to give Haul prime real estate on its app and website suggests that, for now, the retailer is not entirely convinced of its long-term value.
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