Amazon Expands Global Reach with “Amazon Bazaar” — A New Budget Shopping App for Emerging Markets

Amazon is widening its global footprint with a new e-commerce platform focused on affordability. The company announced on Friday the launch of Amazon Bazaar, a standalone low-price shopping app designed for consumers in emerging markets across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Unlike Amazon’s main app, Bazaar will operate independently and feature mostly products under $10, with some items priced as low as $2, according to the company. The app is currently available on Android and iOS in more than a dozen countries, including Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Nigeria. Amazon confirmed that additional markets will gain access in the coming months.

Competing directly with Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop

Amazon Bazaar represents the tech giant’s most direct move yet to challenge the dominance of Chinese fast-shopping apps such as Temu, Shein, and TikTok Shop, all of which have gained massive popularity among younger, price-conscious consumers.

The new app builds on Amazon’s experience with Amazon Haul, which launched in November 2024 and serves as Amazon’s answer to Shein and Temu. While Haul remains integrated into the main Amazon platform — operating in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Australia — Bazaar will function as a standalone destination in new regions.

Interestingly, in some countries Amazon had already marketed Haul under the Bazaar name through its main app. This version is still available in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and India. Amazon says the use of two names — Haul and Bazaar — reflects efforts to align with local cultures and language preferences.

Affordable shopping with familiar Amazon features

The Bazaar app will host hundreds of thousands of low-cost products, spanning categories such as fashion, home decor, beauty, and lifestyle goods. It includes signature Amazon features such as customer reviews, star ratings, and secure checkout.

Users can sign in using their existing Amazon accounts, and pay via Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. Orders that meet the local free-shipping minimum qualify for free delivery, while smaller orders incur a standard shipping fee. Shipping is expected to take up to two weeks, with free returns within 15 days of receipt.

Amazon also promises multilingual customer support, with the app supporting six languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, and Traditional Chinese.

Social features and gamified shopping

In a nod to its Chinese competitors, Amazon Bazaar will include interactive elements like lucky draws, flash deals, and social promotions designed to make shopping more engaging. To attract new users, the company is offering 50% off the first delivery for first-time customers.

This approach suggests Amazon is adopting a more social, mobile-first retail model, tailored for users in regions with rapidly growing online retail markets but limited disposable income.

Expanding Amazon’s global e-commerce strategy

The launch of Amazon Bazaar underscores the company’s strategic pivot toward affordability and localization. By introducing a dedicated platform for budget-conscious shoppers, Amazon aims to secure its position in the fast-growing low-cost retail segment — an area where Shein and Temu have seen explosive growth.

If successful, Bazaar could become Amazon’s most influential initiative in global retail since the rollout of Prime, positioning the company as not just a premium marketplace, but also a major player in accessible, low-cost e-commerce worldwide.