Amazon hails big jump in number of Scots firms exporting via its online stores

More Scottish products sold via Amazon have made their way across the globe, with a double-digit jump in exports last year, according to new figures from the internet giant.
Tracey Hogarth, the founder of Scottish firm Nudie Snacks, which produces plant-based snacks, including crisps from 'wonky' vegetables, is now selling through Amazon.Tracey Hogarth, the founder of Scottish firm Nudie Snacks, which produces plant-based snacks, including crisps from 'wonky' vegetables, is now selling through Amazon.
Tracey Hogarth, the founder of Scottish firm Nudie Snacks, which produces plant-based snacks, including crisps from 'wonky' vegetables, is now selling through Amazon.

The firm’s UK SME Impact Report highlights how the company supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including independent sellers, authors, content creators, delivery providers and developers.

In Scotland, there was a 30 per cent-plus increase in Scottish sellers on Amazon’s stores between 2018 to 2019, with 25 per cent, 20 per cent and 35 per cent increases across Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeenshire, respectively.

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There was a 27 per cent year-on-year increase in Scottish SMEs exporting their products worldwide.

Tracey Hogarth, the founder of Scottish firm Nudie Snacks, which produces plant-based snacks, including crisps from “wonky” vegetables, said: “The pandemic made us sit up and reassess how we were going to adapt and survive.

“When lockdown began in March 2020 our sales fell by 95 per cent, as we typically supplied our popular plant-based snacks to offices.

“We had to think quickly and find a solution and moving online selling through Amazon helped us to put our products in front of a huge audience.

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“Looking ahead, we are hoping to continue to grow on Amazon so that we can expand into the European market and offer our products to more customers outside the UK.”

The wider report shows that between June 1 2019 and May 31 2020, Amazon’s UK selling partners sold more than 600 million products in its stores, up from 500 million the year before. Selling partners achieved around £75,000 in sales on average, up from about £60,000.

Francois Saugier, vice-president EU seller services at Amazon, said: “Empowering small and medium-sized businesses is at the core of everything we do.

“We will continue to invest in logistics, tools and people to support small and medium-sized businesses. Supporting these businesses helps us to create the best shopping experience for our customers.

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“Despite this challenging period, selling partners have continued to grow with Amazon. When customers shop on our stores, more than 50 per cent of the products they buy are sold by small businesses.”

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