Amazon to transform Christmas shopping with Aussie warehouse

Christmas shopping this year could be about to change completely with rumours running that Amazon could launch its Australian operations in time for the silly season.

The online retail giant confirmed in April it was coming down under, but the brief announcement did not include an opening date.

However, the rumour mill is running hot that Amazon will open its Australian warehouse before December.

Investment and retail expert Sam Henderson said it "makes sense" to be launching at a time when people would already be reaching for their wallets.

"The consumer should be seeing discounting of up to 50 percent on goods they haven't seen a discount on before," he told A Current Affair.

Overseas, Amazon sells everything from electronics to fashion.

And because they don't pay expensive rent in shopping centres, the prices are always lower.

"There is a reason they call Amazon a category killer, and that is because they are going to come in and change the landscape entirely," Mr Henderson said.

In the US, over 40 percent of online sales now go through Amazon.

However, Australian retailers remain divided.

Some smaller businesses see Amazon as a platform, or even an opportunity to help them compete against bigger stores.

Others are worried Amazon will force prices down and push people out of the market.

Russell Zimmerman from the Australian Retailers Association said there would be tough and interesting times ahead.

"They are a good retailer and they are going to be a disruptor to the Australian retail scene," he said.

Amazon's first operations centre will open in Dandenong South in Melbourne.

Other warehouse sites around the country are expected to be confirmed soon, with one likely to be announced for western Sydney.

In Queensland, Ipswich, Logan and Helensvale have all been reported as possible sites.