Amazon opens in Mexico

Online retail giant Amazon has opened its Mexico site for business, offering free delivery on orders of over 599 pesos (US$38.25).

A statement posted on the Amazon.com.mx site Tuesday said "we are launching in Mexico with more categories, more items and more functions than any other international Amazon website has featured at launch."

Among its Mexico offerings is an avocado container, designed to keep the fruit from getting bruised or browned.

Online shopping in Mexico has been limited, in part because of unreliable postal service and difficulties with home deliveries. Packages, for example, can't be left on doorsteps or porches.

Amazon says customers in Mexico will also have the option of picking up their purchases from hundreds of locations across the country.

Juan Carlos García, former vice president of e-commerce for Walmart Mexico and Central America, will be the country director of Amazon in Mexico.