Canberra, Dec 5 (IANS): Online US retail giant Amazon has officially launched operations in Australia on Tuesday, with the brand looking to make an impact in the lead up to the busy Christmas period.

Their 24,000-square-meter warehouse in the outskirts of Melbourne will offer 23 consumer categories ranging from books, electronics, clothing, home improvement, kitchen goods, health and beauty and baby products, reports Xinhua news agency.

Australian country manager Rocco Braeuniger told local media that "by concentrating on providing a great shopping experience and by constantly innovating on behalf of customers, we hope to earn the trust and the custom of Australian shoppers in the years to come".

But not everyone is happy about the e-commerce platform's expansion into Australia.

Among the hardest hit by the new player will be Aussie department stores like David Jones, Myer, Harvey Norman and JB HiFi, who are already under heavy pressure from a weakening retail sector down under.

Adding fuel to the fire, Amazon has offered a one-day delivery service across Sydney and Melbourne over the Christmas holiday period.

In 2018, Amazon also plan to take on the country's largest supermarket chains with their brand AmazonFresh, offering delivery services for fresh food online.