Amazon has formally launched full service operations in Mexico, under the URL amazon.com.mx.
The Amazon launch in Mexico — its first in Latin America — comes after nearly two years in which the company has tested the market by selling eBooks via its Kindle store. Now, the new Amazon Mexico store will sell millions of products, including three Kindle models, music CDs and vinyl. As of now, no MP3s are being offered.
Despite that, the implications for e-commerce in general and for music sales in a country where people still like to buy physical albums could be huge.
As has been the case with the global music industry, Mexico has seen music retail space shrink alarmingly over the last decade. And while digital sales via iTunes Mexico have exploded, along with streaming, they don’t compensate for physical sales.
Amazon, with its promise of physical delivery, could appeal to a population that has embraced e-commerce. According to a Comscore study titled “Electronic Commerce in Mexico 2015,” e-commerce sales in Mexico when from $9.2 billion in 2013 to $12.2 billion in 2014.
The Amazon.com.mx page is completely in Spanish, and includes a music section titled CDs y Vinilos (CDs and Vinyl). That section, in turn, includes tabs for touring acts, pop acts, rock acts, new acts and a special section on Mexican star Juan Gabriel and his successful album Los Duo.
Trending on Billboard
Although Amazon has been in Spain for several years now, this is its first store in Latin America.