Amazon has announced that it is closing its online store in China after struggling to gain a foothold in the world's most populous nation.
The US e-commerce giant will shut its China marketplace by 18 July.
JD.com and Alibaba controlled 82% of the Chinese e-commerce market last year, according to iResearch Global, making it difficult for Amazon to gain traction.
Amazon's decision means it will no longer operate a marketplace nor provide seller services through Amazon.cn, with the company focusing on selling overseas goods and cloud services instead.
A spokeswoman said: "We are working closely with our sellers to ensure a smooth transition and to continue to deliver the best customer experience possible.
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"Sellers interested in continuing to sell on Amazon outside of China are able to do so through Amazon Global Selling."
Chinese consumers will still be able to make purchases through Amazon's stores in other countries.
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Ker Zheng, marketing specialist at Shenzhen-based e-commerce consultancy Azoya, said Amazon had no major competitive advantage in China.
He said that, unless someone wanted a specific imported product they could not get elsewhere, "there's no reason for a conRead More – Source
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