Amazon offers to share data, strengthen competitors in order to avoid EU antitrust penalties

Author: Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Amazon has offered to provide sellers with market data and increase the visibility of competing products on its platform as it tries to persuade EU antitrust regulators to close investigations without penalty by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said.

The world’s largest online retailer hopes its licenses will prevent a potential European Union fine that could amount to as much as 10% of its global sales, Reuters reported last year.

The European Commission in 2020 accused Amazon of using its size, power and data to promote its own products and gain an unfair advantage over rival sellers selling on its online platform.

It also launched an investigation into Amazon’s possible preferential treatment of its own retail offers and those of marketplace sellers who use its logistics and delivery services.

Amazon’s process of selecting the seller who appears in the “shopping box” on its website and who generates the majority of its sales is also in the spotlight.

Amazon has now proposed allowing sellers access to some market data, while its commercial unit will not be able to use seller data collected by its retail unit, the people said.

The company will also create a second purchase box for competing products in case an Amazon product appears in the first purchase box, the people said.

The EU competition enforcer is expected to seek feedback from competitors and users in the coming weeks, which could lead to amendments to the proposal and a final decision by the end of the year, sources said.

The commission and Amazon declined to comment. The company has previously said it disagrees with the regulator’s claims and that it represents less than 1% of the global retail market.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee Editing by Emdund Blair and Mark Potter)