UAE-based e-commerce site Souq.com has relaunched as Amazon.ae in the country, it was announced on Wednesday.

Souq was acquired by global e-commerce platform Amazon in 2017 for an estimated $650m.

Mouchawar, who is now vice president for Amazon in the Middle East and North Africa, touted the site as a milestone, noting that customers can shop in Arabic on both the Amazon app and the website, a first for the Seattle-based company.

Amazon.ae also features regional specific deals, such as sales pegged to Ramadan, the Islamic holy month set to begin next week. Souq will still be available in other countries where it operates, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Now featuring over 30 million products, including those previously available on Souq and five million products from Amazon US, the site has been “localised” to suit the market, a statement said. The thousands of businesses who were selling on Souq are now selling on Amazon.ae, with the site now open to UAE sellers of all sizes.

Shoppers can pay in UAE dirhams using local and international credit cards or cash on delivery (COD). For the first time ever at Amazon, Arabic language has been introduced to both the mobile app and the website.