Amazon Singapore empowers women-owned small businesses

Amazon Singapore is celebrating women who are the driving force behind successful homegrown small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). From creating jobs and enabling financial independence in their communities to championing eco-friendly business practices, the founders have been persevering through challenges to create a better future for all. By sharing their inspirational stories and unique product offerings on a dedicated storefront, Amazon Singapore hopes to inspire more entrepreneurs and consumers to #ChooseToChallenge gender stereotypes and empower local business owners, regardless of their gender, to sell online and scale globally.

Amazon Singapore has long been supportive of Singapore's journey to become a global e-commerce hub. While local businesses continue to play a central role in the company's DNA and success, Amazon recognizes that empowering women and supporting their businesses is the key to maximizing Singapore's economic potential, with research showing that increasing gender equality in the workforce could add up to S$26 billion to the country's GDP by 2025^[1].

The dedicated storefront on Amazon.sg will showcase stories and products offered by 12 women-owned businesses over the next 4 weeks -- from craft supplies to baby and maternity essentials. Starting today, customers can read more about the journey and motivations of the featured entrepreneurs, shop their offerings on Amazon.sg and enjoy promotions on selected products as part of the IWD celebration.

Featured sellers include Yvon Bock, founder of baby and maternity lifestyle brand Hegen; Beth Candice Wu, founder of local gift company and social enterprise HoneySpree; Pauline Ng, founder of cult-premium skincare brand Porcelain; Suzanne Vetillart, CEO of sustainable handcrafted jewelry brand Boma Jewelry; Trimongsowati Sekarpantjawati, founder of holistic wellness brand Botanica Culture; Connie Tan, founder of creative craft supplies shop Glittery Garden; and Sarah Jean Rodrigues, founder of local wine company Wine with Us.

"Women are a critical force for Singapore's economic progress and the growth of their businesses fuels our collective success. We are committed to offering equal opportunities for all sellers to help them unleash their entrepreneurial potential, regardless of their gender and background," said Bernard Tay, country leader, Amazon.sg seller services and head of Amazon global selling southeast Asia. "Amazon is proud to mark this year's International Women's Day by celebrating the resilience of women entrepreneurs and showcasing their success stories. We hope that their experiences will resonate with other entrepreneurs, encouraging them to #ChooseToChallenge gender conventions and grow their businesses globally with us."

"As an advocate for women upliftment and a mother myself, my mission has been to empower stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) to achieve financial independence while caring for their children," said Beth Wu, founder of HoneySpree.

Founded by Beth Candice Wu, HoneySpree is a social enterprise specializing in customizable mini honey jars. The company employs stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) to ease their financial burden, giving back 30 cents to their network of SAHMs for every mini honey jar sold. To keep operational costs low and focus on growing her business by reaching more consumers, Beth decided to sell online and turned to Amazon for her logistics and order fulfillment needs.

In addition to the dedicated storefront, Amazon is teaming up with Enterprise Singapore to help local retailers, including women-run businesses, sell online and scale globally. Enterprise Singapore will support these efforts through the Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) scheme, offering S$100,000 maximum per new country, for up to 70% of eligible costs for overseas promotion, overseas business development and overseas country set up. Female entrepreneurs can thus avail tools and resources to sell online with Amazon.sg, expand their business across Amazon's 20 stores worldwide, and reach more customers anywhere. Check out Amazon.sg's storefront featuring women-owned SMBs here. To find out more about how SMBs can sell on Amazon, visit https://www.amazon.sg/sell.

Boma Jewelry started selling on Amazon.sg in 2020 to gain access to the local consumer market and leverage Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to reduce operational costs and expand on a global scale.

In 1981, Boma Jewelry was founded by the parents of current-day CEO Suzanne Vetillart in Seattle, Washington, offering customers accessible, sustainable, and ethically-made fine jewelry. Suzanne aims to continuously improve the brand's supply chain and champion environmentally-friendly practices.

In addition, she founded the Boma Girl Fund in 2016 to donate proceeds to community programs for the company's workers and their families.

Botanica Culture is a holistic wellness brand founded in Singapore in 2011, offering organic and cruelty-free personal care products such as organic toothpaste and skincare oils. Founder Trimongsowati Sekarpantjawati leaned on her expertise as a chemist for 25 years to develop safe and effective products.

The brand aims to empower women by employing single mothers in a village in Indonesia so they can provide their children with a better education.

Botanica Culture has recently started selling on Amazon.sg to broaden their customer reach and tap on the local seller community. The brand also plans to expand the business internationally with the help of Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA).

Glittery Garden is an online craft supplies store that designs, produces and sells creative and budget-friendly party and DIY craft items.

Founder Connie Tan turned her passion for crafts into a small business when she noticed the lack of party decoration options in the market.

Since 2016, within a year of selling internationally on Amazon, business sales grew by 400% and with Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA), Glittery Garden expanded from the US marketplace to Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia and Singapore.

Launched in 2015, Hegen is a baby and maternity brand that offers multifunctional and revolutionary baby products to enhance the breastfeeding experience for mothers.

Founder Yvon Bock aims to support working mums and make a difference in their lives by positively impacting their breastfeeding journey.

In 2016, Hegen began selling on Amazon.com and has since expanded to Amazon.uk and Amazon.sg after finding success in the US market. Selling on Amazon has opened the brand to marketing and selling globally -- allowing Hegen to reach mummies around the world.

Porcelain is a cult-premium skincare brand from Singapore established in 2009, with the vision to marry craftsmanship and technology to create the future of skincare. 

Founder Pauline Ng was inspired by her mother's passion for helping others achieve healthy skin and decided to turn her family knowledge into a full-time business.

Last year, Porcelain began selling on Amazon.sg to extend its reach online, grow its customer base and leverage Amazon's onsite solutions to manage business accounts easily.

Photo by Shutterstock

Last year, Wine With Us started selling on Amazon.sg to reduce operational costs, reach a wider customer base online, and gain more exposure for their product offerings

Wine With Us is a local wine company that offers high-quality imported wine at affordable prices.

Founder Sarah Jean Rodrigues saw a glaring lack of selection in the local wine industry and decided to start her company 'Wine With Us' to offer consumers a bigger portfolio of quality wine.

^{[1] McKinsey Global Institute: The power of parity: Advancing women's equality in Asia Pacific}