2020 has been the year of e-commerce, which is why it comes as no surprise to anyone that it was one of Amazon’s best years ever. Today, Amazon detailed just how great 2020 has been for the Jeff Bezos led e-commerce giant, by providing details about its sales during this year’s holiday season in a blog post.
First of all, the e-commerce giant said that 2020 has been Amazon’s biggest holiday season yet.
The company said that Independent businesses selling on Amazon—most of them small and medium-sized businesses—have surpassed $4.8 billion in worldwide sales from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, which is an increase of over 60% from last year.
In the United States, the Friday following Thanksgiving, called ‘Black Friday’ is known for the shopping frenzy and crazy deals on products. People flock supermarkets and malls to get the best of the deals, and sometimes even fight for them if they have to. But this year has been different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the sales took place online, and this has clearly contributed to the increase in Amazon’s sales. However, a drop in in-store traffic was observed this Black Friday, which subsequently resulted in a boom in online shopping, something that Amazon heavily capitalized on.
Amazon had a very profitable third quarter, and the holiday season has only boosted its success. The e-commerce giant said that more than 71,000 small and medium-sized businesses worldwide have surpassed $100,000 in sales this holiday season to date. Small and medium-sized American businesses in particular, the company says, have sold an average of 9,500 products per minute this holiday season to date.
Amazon often advertises itself as a collaborator who helps small and medium businesses grow by providing them a platform to grow. The company said that it has committed $100 million to help small and medium-sized businesses reach more customers through the holidays. According to Amazon, independent businesses selling on its platform worldwide have created an estimated 2.2 million jobs.
“In a holiday season unlike any other, it’s clear that customers still want great deals on gifts for their loved ones or a little something extra for themselves, and we’re glad to help deliver smiles throughout the season,” said Jeff Wilke, CEO, Amazon Worldwide Consumer. “Thank you to our customers, employees, and selling partners around the world for making this our biggest holiday season to date, and for everything you’re doing to support our communities and each other now and throughout the year.”
