Globally, Amazonannounced that it will invest US$18 billion in 2020 to support small and mediumbusinesses and that it will spend an additional US$100 million to promote smallbusinesses during Prime Day and through the holiday season

In Singapore,Amazon is one of the qualified e-commerce solution providers under the DigitalResilience Bonus administered by IMDA, and eligible local retailers whoregister to sell on Amazon.sg can receive a bonus of up to S$2,500

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 18September 2020 - (NASDAQ:AMZN) -- In 2020, Amazon has providedsupport to thousands of local retailers and helped many of them to buildthriving businesses by selling on Amazon.sg,and is keen to do more. Now, local retailers selling on Amazon.sg who meet the eligibilitycriteria can also receive the DigitalResilience Bonus (DRB) administered by the Infocomm Media Development Authority(IMDA). In addition, as part of Amazon's continued global commitment to supportsmall and medium businesses (SMBs) during COVID-19, Amazon announced that itwill invest US$18 billion to help SMBs worldwide sell to customers, includinginvestments in logistics, tools, services, programs, and people. Theseinitiatives add on to the support measures for local retailers that Amazon hasleaned in to provide, including an ongoingcollaboration with Enterprise Singaporeon the eCommerce Booster Package which offers eligible local retailers aone-time grant of up to S$9,000 when they register to sell with Amazon.sg.

"As local retailerscontinue to adapt to the new normal, digitalisation is key to enabling them tobuild resilience and tap into new revenue streams domestically andinternationally. Small and medium businessesare a part of Amazon's DNA and we remain committed to their success. The new initiatives will provide the necessary push in encouraginglocal retailers to step up digitalisation efforts and we're happy to work with IMDA on the Digital Resilience Bonus to offer additional support to them during this time of need," said BernardTay, Country Leader, Amazon.sg Seller Services and Head of Amazon GlobalSelling Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

"The recently announced Digital Resilience Bonus (DRB)under the SMEs Go Digital programme encourages retail and food servicesenterprises to take prompt action in adapting to the new normal throughdigitalisation. It is heartening to see industry leaders like Amazon comingforward to enable businesses reach out to more customers online and help theirSME partners benefit from the DRB." said Catherine Chong, Director, SMEs GoDigital, IMDA. 

Helping local retailers emergestronger from the pandemic

Since the onset of COVID-19, Amazon has introduced apipeline of initiatives targeted at supporting the local small and mediumbusiness community in their online selling journey. These include:

• Newresources by Amazon help retailers digitize

Amazonannounced thatit is on course to invest US$18 billion this year to help small and mediumbusinesses to sell to customers, including investments in logistics, tools,services, programs, and people. Since the beginning of the year, Amazon haslaunched more than 135 free tools and services to help sellers grow their salesin Amazon's store. In Singapore, Amazon recently launchedits Seller University, anonline education portal offering complimentary training videos and tools soretailers new to eCommerce can learn how to create effective product listingsfaster and master the key tools and applications for selling on Amazon.

Other resources available includethe Amazon Seller App for localretailers with accounts on Amazon.sg to track sales and manage their businessvia mobile. For retailers to build and nurture their businesses online, Amazonalso rolled out its Marketplace Appstore, a one-stop shop to discoverthird-party applications and services for automating tedious business aspects,and the Seller Forum, a resource for first-hand advice from fellow businessowners on selling with Amazon. Sellers can also join the

• DigitalResilience Bonus (DRB) with IMDA

The DRB is one of the efforts by the Singapore Governmentto uplift the digital capabilities of a broad base of enterprises. For a start,the DRB will benefit the food services and retail sectors which have beendeeply affected by safe distancing measures amidst COVID-19. Amazon is one ofthe e-commerce providers that qualifies as a solution for the DRB. Eligibleretailers who sell on Amazon.sg and fulfil the other mandatory requirements canreceive a one-time S$2,500 automatic cash payout. Detailed information on theDRB, including its eligibility criteria can be found here and inthe Appendix.

• Recognizinghome-grown businesses and celebrating their journeys

In a bid to raise more awareness for local businesses, Amazonrecently launched a dedicated"Shop Local" storefront on Amazon.sg. The "Shop Local"initiative features local brands' founding stories and a plethora of productsfrom local businesses in categories such as home and home improvement,electronics, kitchen and dining, health and personal care, toys and games,groceries and more. The "Shop Local" storefront will shine a spotlight on thediversity of local retailers selling on Amazon.sg, positioning them forincreased sales during Prime Day and throughout Q4.

For more information about selling on Amazon.sg, visit: amazon.sg/sell

APPENDIX:FAQs

1.       Eligibility criteria for the DigitalResilience Bonus Payout (Reference)

• To qualify for DRB, an enterprise must be: (i) incorporated on orbefore 26 May 2020 with a Food Service or Retail SSIC code and (ii) using thedigital solutions between 1 June 2020 and 30 June 2021.
• Eligible enterprises can receive payouts of up to S$10,000, ifthey:

a)       Adopt PayNow Corporate and PEPPOLe-invoicing; and

b)      Adopt the digital solutions in therequired categories

• The payout for Category 1 and 2 is S$2,500 perenterprise per category, while the payout for Category 3 is S$5,000 per enterprise.Enterprises that fulfil all categories will receive S$10,000. Digital solutionsin each category are illustrated in the tables below.

2.       What are the types of retailenterprises that qualify for DRB?

• Retail enterprises include those in footwear, bags, clothing,furniture, jewellery, watches, cosmetics, hardware, pet supplies, toys, books,handphones and computer hardware. To view the full list of qualified SSIC forFood Services and Retail sectors, please visit the Digital Resilience Bonuswebpage at www.imda.gov.sg/DRBonus.

3.      How do eligible retailers on Amazon.sg apply forDRB?

• Eligible Singapore retailers who have a digital presence on e-commercesolutions including on Amazon.sg and have sales records between 1 June 2020 and30 June 2021 will be eligible for the Category 2 payout of S$2,500. Retailersalso need to fulfil the baseline mandatory criteria, i.e. have a qualifiedprimary SSIC (as listed on IMDA's website) as at 26 May 2020, be registered on the Nationwide E-invoicingNetwork and have a PayNow Corporate account. Detailed information on the DRB canbe found here https://www.imda.gov.sg/DRBonus).
• There is no need for enterprises to apply for DRB. As a qualifiedsolution provider, Amazon submits the unique entity number (UEN) and businessname of Singapore retailers who made sales on Amazon.sg from 1 June 2020 to 30June 2021. This submission is made on a monthly basis, starting from 5September 2020 for Amazon.sg. IMDA checks whether the retailers have met theother mandatory criteria and pays out S$2,500 to those who have, through theirPayNow Corporate accounts. No money is transferred to Amazon. Each eligible retailerwill receive this bonus only once for each Category.

4.      When will the payouts be made?

• The first enterprises that adopted the pre-defined solutions havereceived their first Bonus payouts in August. Those that adopt later willreceive their Bonus payouts in later months. IMDA has a monthly cycle ofassessing enterprises' eligibility for the Bonus and making the Bonus payouts.
• Assessment of eligibility for the DRB payouts is based on whetheran enterprise has used the solution, regardless of the date when the solutionwas deployed.
• The Bonus payout will be paid through your PayNow Corporateaccount. You can check your account statement to see if you have been paid.

5.       If I get paid for fulfilling Category 1,and I subsequently qualify for Category 2, will I receive the second payoutupon fulfilment of Category 2?

• Yes, the Bonus for each category will be extended to you if youadopt all the solutions in that category and meet the mandatory requirements.The total payout for each enterprise upon fulfilment of all three categories isS$10,000.

6.      What is the frequency of the payouts?

Each eligibleretailer will receive the Digital Resilience bonus only once for each Category.

7.      Are retailers who have signed up for the Enterprise Singapore's e-Commerce Booster Package with Amazon eligible toreceive the Digital Reslience Bonus?

Yes,eligible retailers who qualify can benefit from both of these initiatives.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles:customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention,commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews,1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfilmentby Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, FireTV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneeredby Amazon. For more information, visit Amazon.sg.