Amazon Reports Record Holiday Sales as Independent Sellers Thrive
SEATTLE - Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced that its recent Legendary Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday event, which took place from November 21 to December 2, was the company's most successful holiday shopping period to date compared to the same timeframe in previous years. The event witnessed record sales and the highest number of units sold.
During this 12-day discount event, customers purchased millions of Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices, including the latest Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick 4K models, which ranked among the event's best sellers. Electronics, toys, and beauty products saw significant demand in the U.S., with Beats headphones, Samsung televisions, and Medicube beauty devices being particularly popular.
This year’s event was also highly beneficial for independent sellers on the Amazon platform, especially small and medium-sized businesses. These sellers, which accounted for more than 60% of sales during this period, included brands like JLab and Blissy, which achieved notable successes.
Doug Herrington, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Stores, expressed gratitude to customers for their holiday shopping and emphasized the company's commitment to providing savings and fast, convenient delivery options. Herrington also acknowledged the efforts of Amazon's employees, suppliers, and business partners.
An independent study by Profitero revealed that Amazon's prices were, on average, 14% lower than those of other leading U.S. retailers and that Amazon led in online price competition for the eighth consecutive year going into the holiday season.
Amazon's commitment to facilitating customer savings continues throughout December, with millions of additional discounts available worldwide. The company's Holiday Shop offers trending gifts and various shopping themes from leading brands. Moreover, from December 3 to 14, customers can benefit from discounts of up to 40% on fashion and fitness products from brands like Columbia and Lacoste.
To make holiday shopping even more accessible, Amazon introduced AI-powered features such as a chat shopping assistant called Rufus and a visual search tool known as Amazon Lens. The company also unveiled a Virtual Holiday Store, providing a three-dimensional shopping experience with over 300 popular gift items.
Amazon offers a secure shopping experience with its A-to-Z Guarantee and provides fast, free delivery options for Prime members, including convenient Amazon Days for package deliveries. An extended holiday return window allows most items purchased from November 1 to December 31 to be returned until January 31, offering customers added flexibility.