CReATION: Amazon Japanese site launched in time for holidays

<p>US-based etail giant Amazon.com has launched a Japanese site - its </p><p>fourth international effort following sites in France, Germany and the </p><p>UK. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The launch, which comes several months ahead of schedule, was rolled out </p><p>early in time for the holidays. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The company said it hoped launching the site early would pay off as the </p><p>Gartner Group recently predicted that Japanese consumers would spend </p><p>USdollars 1.3 billion online during the season. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Amazon hopes to take USdollars 1 billion in total sales this holiday </p><p>season. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The move comes as other US companies are also looking to target Japanese </p><p>online shoppers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Anderson Consulting had earlier said ecommerce in Japan grew at a rate </p><p>of 400 per cent from 1998 to 1999, leading US etailers to anticipate the </p><p>type of hype which marked America's early days of ecommerce. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The site is to be backed by an office in Tokyo. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The company is expected to face competition from Japan's convenience </p><p>store 7-Eleven Japan, which also launched an online bookstore. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Amazon is offering free delivery for the rest of the year as a special </p><p>promotion. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It is unclear how Amazon will work through Japanese publishing </p><p>regulations to offer discounts on Japanese language books on its </p><p>site. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The company is expected to continue to discount English-language books </p><p>on its site by up to 30 per cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Separately, Commercial Press Cyberbooks (CPC) is seeking a licence in </p><p>mainland China to tap its lucrative Internet bookstore market. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Through promotions in Hong Kong and other overseas markets, the website </p><p>CP1897.com had seen a surge in sales over the past six months. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>CPC is a joint venture between Sunevision Holdings and Commercial </p><p>Press. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The site offers more than 200,000 Chinese-language titles and 50,000 </p><p>English-language titles. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>