A hub for small businesses
As the European business economy is largely made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), Amazon plays an important role in e-commerce employment in the region, serving as a contractor for more than 200,000 sellers. Amazon’s partnership with SMEs contributed to over 650,000 new jobs created in Europe, mostly in the UK and Germany. In the two countries, the e-commerce giant can count on an extensive network of both distribution facilities and sellers, followed by France, Italy, and Spain.In 2022, first-party selling represented the most popular selling model in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), although down from the previous year. Following the trend registered in the United States, EMEA sellers preferred hybrid selling schemes over the exclusive third-party (3P) model. Things might change in the future since Amazon offered European 3P sellers different conditions based on the settlement agreed with EU regulators in 2022. Prior to that, the European Commission investigated Amazon’s usage of 3P sellers’ data, which appeared to favor Amazon’s retail business.