Amazon.com, China Mobile Script World’s First Co-Branded Kindle

E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. has launched a first-ever customized version of its Kindle reader for China with leading local wireless carrier China Mobile Ltd.

The move comes as Amazon.com tries a new tack of tailoring products and services for the market under a new country head.

The new partnership will nearly double the number of Kindle titles available to readers in China by bringing together Amazon.com’s own catalogue of 460,000 electronic books with another 400,000 distributed by China Mobile’s Migu online literature unit, Amazon.com said in a statement. China Mobile is the nation’s largest carrier by subscribers, with more than 800 million.

The customized readers will continue to include all of their current features of Kindle.

Despite 13 years in China, Amazon.com has yet to gain major traction in the market for its core e-commerce service, controlling less than 1% of the market. That contrasts sharply with younger market leaders Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and JD.com Inc., as well as other newer arrivals like Gome and Vipshop.

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has admitted that at least part of his company’s poor performance owes to a decision to largely copy its global model in China. But its recently named China president, Elaine Chang, has emphasized customization as a key to success — a common refrain heard from observers who analyze similar failures by many big Western internet names.

“We deeply understand that Chinese readers have highly diversified demands, and therefore we’re joining with China Mobile’s Migu to roll out the groundbreaking Kindle X Migu reader,” said David Limp, an Amazon.com senior vice president. “It’s the world’s first co-branded Kindle, customized specifically for Chinese readers.”

The readers, which were being promoted on Amazon.com’s China homepage on Thursday, sell for 658 yuan ($97), which includes vouchers for 300 yuan worth of books from China Mobile’s Migu store. That compares with a starting price of 558 yuan for ordinary Kindles sold in Amazon.com’s China online store.

The tie-up acknowledges a fondness for short, easy-to-read homegrown literature among many Chinese, who like the format for reading on their smartphones and tablets during commutes and other short time periods when outside. Such works usually come in the form of serialized novels distributed though web library operators such as Migu.

In her previous role as head of Amazon.com’s Kindle division, Chang also introduced a customized white version of the reader specifically for the market. She is currently focusing heavily on the company’s Prime loyalty club, which includes a free shipping program for international orders targeting Chinese buyers of imported goods.

Contact reporter Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)