According to TechCrunch, Amazon won't be in Singapore so soon as previously reported.

Amazon initially planned to launch its e-commerce services in Singapore during the first quarter of this year, but two sources with knowledge of the plans said the timeline has been pushed back to "later this year".

The Singapore market is favourable for Amazon due to a higher ownership of credit cards, wider Internet penetration and more established logistics and delivery networks, compared to less mature markets in the region.

Amazon's long-awaited Southeast Asia launch will see it take on rival Alibaba, which purchased a major stake in regional commerce firm Lazada in 2016.

To go head-on with Amazon's grocery delivery service, Lazada purchased Singapore-based service Redmart in the same year.

Amazon declined comment when asked by TechCrunch.

However, ABC News reported that Amazon has hired a team of over 100 in Sydney to launch operations in Australia first.

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