In Europe, Prime Video adoption rates trail those in the US—due in part to the fact that European streamers have less access to content options. As streaming services try to dominate across audiences, they’ll need content that is relevant to international viewers in their markets. Local content can help drive revenue and differentiate Prime Video from its peers.

During the pandemic-induced lockdowns in 2020, many UK-based shoppers confined to their homes saw little need to shop for apparel, and even now, as restrictions ease, apparel will still not be a consumer focus.

Of course the total number of Amazon buyers will be even greater. Moreover, both these groups are set to increase between now and 2022, when 32.5 million people are expected to use Prime.

Two days later, Amazon closed six distribution centers in the country. It also announced that it would appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, orders would be fulfilled by distribution centers outside France, and orders from third-party retailers via Amazon would still be fulfilled if goods were sent directly from those third parties.

Physical retail has suffered hugely under the weight of the coronavirus. Ecommerce has benefited to the tune of a 14.7% rise in sales this year, and digital habits are forming that will last beyond the pandemic.

Not surprisingly, Amazon is a key player in the present and future of AI in Europe. Germany in particular is crucial to Amazon, not just as a major regional consumer market, but as a source of brainpower in the battle for AI supremacy. Politico reported in May 2019 that Amazon has several research and development sites in Germany pursuing AI projects, and now employs hundreds of AI experts.

Business Insider Intelligence research analyst Daniel Keyes, eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman, and senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Cindy Liu discuss the overachieving retailers of Q3—Peloton, Etsy, and Wayfair. They then talk about the EU's antitrust charges filed against Amazon, VF Corp.'s acquisition of Supreme, and Verishop launching a social network within its app.

Ecommerce platforms like Amazon and Shopify are starting to use their granular merchant data to issue credit to sellers. Amazon, for example, announced in July that it’s working with Marcus to launch a digital credit line for its US sellers. Sellers can apply digitally through the Amazon merchant hub’s minutes-long process, which gives results in real time.

Amazon does face potential penalties arising from legal challenges brought by authorities in Europe. In a November announcement, the European Commission charged the firm with using data on the sales of independent retailers via the Amazon Marketplace to gain a competitive advantage. But adjudication takes time, and any fines imposed will make scarcely a dent in Amazon’s profits.

Amazon and others are rapidly rolling out contactless checkout: While the pandemic sparked interest in contactless technology, the tight labor market could lead more retailers to adopt the tools.

Goldman Sachs, through its direct bank Marcus, struck US SMB lending deals last year with two retail giants: Amazon in June and Walmart in September. Small business sellers that operate on Amazon’s marketplace can receive lines of credit worth up to $1 million, while the Walmart deal involves lines ranging from $10,000 to $75,000.

Antony Stephen, the former head of Amazon Payments Europe, was hired as CEO of Barclays Partner Finance, according to American Banker, which might signal that the bank is planning to step further into offering its own installment products. What’s the catch? Incumbents are also competing with credit cards.

Following a year of lockdown-related growth in 2020, retail ecommerce sales in Western Europe will continue to rise for the next several years. By the end of 2022, ecommerce sales will account for 14.8% of total retail sales in the region and hit nearly $660 billion.

Amazon will accept Visa credit cards across all of its sites—without surcharges—after reaching a global agreement.

The news: The French fintech, which offers credit products to European consumers, secured a $170 million round led by Goldman Sachs, per TechCrunch. It will use the funding to move deeper into European markets and grow its workforce.

Of course, the total number of Amazon buyers will be even greater. Both groups are set to increase between now and 2022, when 32.5 million people in Germany are expected to use Prime.

Strong growth in online sales over the 2019 holiday season propelled the UK retail sector past a milestone. Ecommerce represented 28.2% of all holiday retail sales, surpassing the 25% mark for the first time. Total retail sales for the season amounted to £99.26 billion ($132.33 billion).

Recent research has found that the stringent lockdown in France has boosted ecommerce dramatically as consumers make fewer in-store trips.