Unlock International Growth with Amazon

At Balkan eCommerce Summit 2026, Sebastian Kummle from Amazon EU SARL explored how Amazon enables eCommerce businesses from the Balkans and across Europe to scale internationally through the Amazon marketplace ecosystem. The lecture focused on cross-border expansion opportunities, marketplace growth, fulfillment infrastructure, AI-powered product discovery, and the key success factors for sellers building international businesses on Amazon.

Amazon Has Become a Major Growth Platform for European Businesses

The presentation began by emphasizing the scale and opportunity of Amazon’s marketplace ecosystem. According to the speaker, Amazon currently works with:

more than 125,000 small and medium-sized enterprises across Europe,

helping them not only sell locally,
but also:

scale internationally.

These businesses collectively generated:

over €17 billion in export sales,

while supporting:

more than 650,000 jobs across Europe.

The key message was that:
Amazon is no longer just a marketplace,
but a:

global infrastructure platform for international growth.

Third-Party Sellers Now Drive Most Amazon Sales

A major point highlighted during the lecture was that:

60% of products sold on Amazon today are sold by third-party sellers, not by Amazon itself.

This demonstrates how Amazon increasingly functions as:

• an enabling ecosystem
• a distribution network
• and a growth engine
  for independent brands and merchants.

eCommerce Growth Across Europe Is Still Accelerating

The speaker also addressed a common question:

“Is it too late to start selling on Amazon?”

According to the presentation,
the answer is clearly:

no.

Amazon continues to experience strong growth,
particularly across Europe,
where online shopping adoption is still expanding rapidly.

Examples included:

• Germany with 83 million population
• 71% already shopping online
• average online spending of around €2,000 annually per customer.

The lecture also noted that:
by 2029,
more than:

120 million eCommerce users

are expected across the UK and Germany alone.

Amazon’s European Marketplace Network Continues to Expand

The presentation highlighted Amazon’s growing European infrastructure,
including newer marketplaces launched in:

• Netherlands
• Sweden
• Poland
• Belgium
• Ireland
• and South Africa globally.

This expansion creates:

easier access to cross-border selling opportunities

for merchants from smaller regional markets such as the Balkans.

Sellers Can Reach Customers Across Europe Through One Infrastructure

One of the core advantages presented was:

pan-European selling.

Amazon allows sellers to:

• list products once
• automatically translate listings
• manage currencies
• and distribute inventory across multiple countries.

Through:

Pan-European FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon),

inventory can be automatically allocated across Amazon fulfillment centers,
reducing operational complexity for sellers.

This enables businesses to:

focus on products and growth,

rather than logistics and infrastructure.

Product Listings Are Critical for International Success

The lecture strongly emphasized that:
success on Amazon depends not only on being present,
but on:

presenting products correctly.

Key listing components include:

• optimized titles
• bullet points
• product descriptions
• keywords
• images
• and videos.

The speaker noted that:
high-quality listings directly influence:

• discoverability
• conversion rates
• and international scalability.

Customer Reviews Have Massive Influence on Conversion

Another important topic was:

customer trust through reviews.

The presentation cited research showing:

• 93% of customers are influenced by online reviews
• 91% of younger shoppers trust reviews similarly to personal recommendations.

This makes:

review management and customer satisfaction

a central part of Amazon growth strategy.

AI Is Reshaping Product Discovery on Amazon

A significant part of the lecture focused on:

Amazon’s AI-powered shopping experience.

The speaker introduced:

Rufus,

Amazon’s AI shopping assistant,
which allows customers to search conversationally using prompts such as:

• “I want to buy new shoes”
• “Suggest products for me”
• or other natural language requests.

This changes how products are discovered,
because AI increasingly analyzes:

• listing quality
• descriptions
• images
• and product context.

Images and Videos Are Becoming More Important Than Ever

The lecture also highlighted:

AI-powered visual search.

Amazon now allows customers to:

• take a photo through the Amazon app
• and search for visually similar products automatically.

Because of this,
high-quality visual assets are becoming:

increasingly important for discoverability and conversion.

The speaker stressed that:
sellers must upload:

• professional images
• strong visuals
• and optimized content
  to remain competitive in AI-driven search environments.

Amazon Is Using AI to Improve Seller Listings Automatically

Another innovation discussed was:

AI-enhanced listing optimization.

Amazon now provides tools that automatically:

• improve product listings
• optimize descriptions
• and enhance content quality.

This helps sellers scale content creation faster,
especially across large catalogs and multiple countries.

Brand Building Is Becoming Increasingly Important

The lecture also emphasized:

brand ownership and presentation.

Brand owners gain access to:

Amazon Brand Stores,

which function as:

• mini-websites inside Amazon
• fully customizable branded experiences
• and storytelling environments for products.

This becomes increasingly valuable as:
AI-powered product discovery grows,
because stronger brand identity improves both visibility and customer trust.

Strategic Account Services Helps Large Sellers Scale Faster

The final part of the presentation focused on:

Amazon Strategic Account Services.

This program offers:

• dedicated marketplace consultants
• personalized growth strategies
• technical support
• listing optimization
• marketing guidance
• and early access to beta tools.

The objective is to:

help larger sellers grow faster through data-driven optimization and close collaboration with Amazon teams.

Key Takeaways

The lecture demonstrated that:
Amazon has evolved into a major international growth platform for European businesses
third-party sellers now generate most product sales on Amazon
cross-border eCommerce opportunities in Europe continue to grow rapidly
Amazon’s marketplace ecosystem provides access to millions of international customers
Pan-European FBA simplifies logistics and international expansion
listing quality is one of the biggest drivers of visibility and conversion
optimized product titles, images, descriptions, and videos are increasingly important
customer reviews strongly influence purchasing decisions and trust
AI-powered shopping assistants are changing how customers discover products
natural language and conversational commerce are becoming more important
visual search is increasing the importance of high-quality product imagery
AI tools are helping sellers optimize listings automatically
brand presentation inside Amazon is becoming a key competitive advantage
large sellers benefit from strategic consulting and marketplace optimization services
successful international growth on Amazon depends on combining operational scale, strong product content, AI readiness, and customer trust.