Growth and Trends: Amazon Sales Statistics

Amazon is the top online seller around the globe. In 1994, Jeff Bezos started Amazon from his garage, and in the years since, the retailer has grown from online book sales to the largest retailer in every product category.

Over 300 million shoppers purchase from Amazon every year, with products including makeup, clothes, toys, electronics, technology, books, auto parts, jewelry, sports equipment, home renovation, and more. Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) make up approximately 60% of sales in Amazon stores.

In the Amazon sales statistics below, we review Amazon’s performance across multiple international markets, assess revenue and earnings, and look at the success of Amazon Prime Day sales. We’ll also look at the kinds of products Amazon sells, Amazon product sales numbers, Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) trends, and Amazon seller sales statistics for different-sized market segments.

Top Amazon Sellers by Country

As of September 2023, the top sellers on Amazon of the top 2000 products sold came from these eight countries. 
It’s essential to note that the reported percentage of sellers outside the U.S. might be understated. Numerous businesses, while primarily operating overseas, have registered as LLCs within the U.S., potentially skewing the numbers.

Chinese sellers comprise a significant 27.5% of top Amazon merchants, a figure that surpasses 29% when including Hong Kong. Meanwhile, U.S. sellers represent a dominant 67%. Sellers from regions other than China and the U.S. constitute a mere 4% of the total.

Key Statistics for Top Sellers:

  • United States, 67.2%
  • China, 27.6%
  • Hong Kong, 2.2%
  • Canada 0.8%
  • Great Britain, 0.6%
  • Germany 0.2%
  • Netherland 0.2%
  • Singapore 0.2%

Source: ecomcrew

Amazon Revenue by Year

Amazon has increased its revenue year over year, including in 2023. In the quarter ending June 30, 2023, Amazon had a 10.85% increase over the same quarter in 2022, totaling $134.383 billion. The Amazon growth rate fluctuates between years, but revenues increase every year.

The 2020 pandemic saw an influx of over 200,000 third-party sellers from around the globe, an increase of 45% from the previous year. Increased sales during the pandemic and higher demand for delivery services led to Amazon investing $34 billion in infrastructure and employing 400,000 additional workers in 2020.

The retailer also invested $11.5 billion to protect employees and customers from transmission in warehouses and delivery routes during the pandemic. Amazon spent $18 billion helping SMBs grow their businesses and increase their sales in their Amazon stores in 2020. Amazon felt these investments were necessary to bolster its position during and after the pandemic.

Key Statistics

  • 2022 revenue of $502.19 billion, a 9.66% increase over 2021
  • 2021 revenue of $469.82 billion, a 21.7% increase over 2020
  • 2020 revenue of $386.06 billion, a 37.62% increase over 2019
  • 2019 revenue of $280.52 billion, a 20.45% increase over 2018
  • 2018 revenue of $232.88 billion, a 30.93% increase over 2017

How Much Does Amazon Earn in a Day?

Amazon earns a daily revenue of approximately $1.29 billion each day. Several factors contribute to Amazon’s position as the marketplace leader in online retail sales, including the functionality of its app, services offered outside of Amazon Shopping, and opportunities for third-party sellers to earn as Amazon sellers.

28% of visitors to Amazon’s platform make a purchase in less than three minutes, while half of Amazon shoppers make their purchases in 15 minutes or less.

Key Statistics

  • Amazon has over 150 million monthly mobile users, nearly twice as many as the second-most popular online retailer.
  • In the 12-month period ending June 30, 2023, Amazon earned over $17,000 per second, with an hourly revenue totaling over $61.4 million per hour.
  • There are over 1.9 million SMBs selling products in Amazon seller stores
  • Although retail remains Amazon’s primary revenue source, Amazon Web Services generates the majority of Amazon’s operating profits and is growing rapidly.
  • Amazon sellers can earn passive income when they become online retailers on Amazon’s platform, generating more revenue for Amazon in the process.

Amazon Revenue by Segment, 2022

Amazon earns revenue across multiple market segments, including online retail, third-party services, Amazon Web Services, and brick-and-mortar stores. Surprisingly for most, Amazon’s product sales generate very little profit for the retailer. Much of Amazon’s income comes from a diversified portfolio of services.

In the first quarter of 2023, Amazon’s third-party seller services witnessed a notable revenue of $32.3 billion, marking an approximately 18 percent annual growth. This segment encompasses commissions, fulfillment, shipping charges, and various services catered to third-party sellers.

Key Statistics

  • $66.08 billion in online stores, including the largest Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales for Amazon holiday season sales.
  • Online stores’ sales include physical and digital products and content, including e-books, Prime video, game downloads, streaming, music, and more.
  • $30.32 billion in third-party seller services, including commissions, shipping fees, fulfillment fees, and other third-party seller revenues.
  • U.S. holiday season sales averaged 11,500 products per minute in third-party seller services.
  • In Q1 of 2022, third-party seller services accounted for $28.7 billion in revenue for Amazon.
  • $17.78 billion in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s cloud system and developer services.
  • AWS offers over 200 core computing, cloud-based, and development services used by major brands, including Pfizer, Meta, Nasdaq, Goldman Sachs, and more in international markets, including Canada and East Asia.
  • $9.72 billion in advertising services, including ads across Amazon’s multiple digital content platforms.
  • $8.12 billion in subscription services, including Amazon Prime and non-AWS services for digital content subscriptions.
  • $4.69 billion in physical stores, including Whole Foods, Amazon Books, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go, Amazon 4-Star, and other brick-and-mortar store locations.
  • While physical stores don’t generate substantial earnings for Amazon, these locations enable prospective customers to discover new products and services from the retail giant, improving conversion rates for new customers in a saturated e-commerce market.

Amazon Prime Day Revenue by Year

The Amazon Prime Day sales growth rate has increased year over year since the special sale day exclusively for Amazon Prime members began in 2015. In July 2019, Prime Day extended to 48 hours, increasing the opportunity for sales and earnings.

In the years since the launch of Prime Day, Amazon has expanded the participating markets from nine countries to over 20 countries in 2022. Amazon third-party sellers (largely SMBs) also benefited from growth on Prime Day in 2022, increasing sales by 11.7% year over year to take 37.2% of the market share compared with 62.8% of sales by Amazon.

Key Statistics

  • 2022 Prime Day sales revenue, $12B
  • 2021 Prime Day sales revenue, $11.2B
  • 2020 Prime Day sales revenue, $10.4B
  • 2019 Prime Day sales revenue, $7.16B (First 48-hour Prime Day)
  • 2018 Prime Day sales revenue, $4.19B
  • 2017 Prime Day sales revenue, $2.41B
  • 2016 Prime Day sales revenue, $1.52B
  • 2015 Prime Day sales revenue, $0.9B (First Prime Day)

How Many Products Does Amazon Sell Per Day?

Amazon sells over $1.29 billion daily on its online shopping platform, attracting millions of customers per day, many of whom make a purchase within 15 minutes of browsing Amazon’s offerings. The retailer sells over 1.6 million individual products every day, which works out to 19 items per second.

Key Statistics

  • Amazon members spend approximately $700 annually shopping on Amazon
  • Amazon Prime members spend approximately $1300 annually shopping on Amazon
  • Amazon has over 12 million listings on its online shopping platform
  • During the holiday season in 2020, Amazon Prime members purchased over 1.5 billion products
  • In 2017, Amazon launched Brand Registry to help Amazon sellers protect their intellectual property rights and brand image
  • 52% of buyers are more likely to purchase an unknown brand from Amazon
  • 75% of buyers discover new brands and products through shopping on Amazon
  • In 2020, Amazon connected over 7,000 SMBs with law firms across the U.S. and Europe using their IP Accelerator tool to help new businesses register trademarks for brand protection.

How Much Does an Amazon Seller Make Per Year?

The average annual profit most Amazon sellers earn depends on several factors. While some sellers can earn six figures annually, approximately 62% of Amazon sellers earn less than $5,000 per month. 22% of all Amazon sellers earn less than $500 per month. These figures also don’t account for operating costs and expenses.

Profit margins tend to be small for Amazon sellers, with nearly 20% of sellers earning 10% or less on profit margins, and only 32% of sellers seeing over 20% margins. However, 64% of sellers claimed they saw a profit within their first year as an Amazon seller.

82% of sellers self-financed their endeavors, with 69% of sellers contributing less than $5,000 to start their own business on Amazon.

Approximately 67% of Amazon sellers are FBA business operators selling their own products and merchandise on the Amazon platform. Among the available methods for selling on Amazon, FBA is the most common and most popular. Other methods for selling include self-publishing on Kindle Direct Publishing, reselling wholesale inventory, or becoming an Amazon Associate content creator.

Amazon’s Brand Registry protection prevented over six million attempts to create seller accounts to stop counterfeiters and scammers in 2020. The same year, only 6% of seller account applications passed Brand Registry verification to be able to sell in the Amazon marketplace.

Brand Registry shows that it is an effective deterrent to IP infringement and counterfeiting. Brand owners now report 99% fewer cases of suspected IP infringement, and fewer than 0.01% of products on Amazon received a complaint for counterfeiting by customers in 2020.

Key Statistics

  • The average annual earnings of an Amazon seller in the U.S. are $40,630 annually
  • The range of annual earnings of an Amazon seller in the U.S. is $17,500 to $72,500 annually
  • The middle 50% of earners report between $28,500 and $48,500 in annual earnings as an Amazon seller
  • Selling on Amazon is not a get-rich-quick strategy, according to 60% of Amazon sellers
  • 55% of sellers launched within three months of deciding to become an Amazon seller

Most Frequent Selling Items on Amazon

The best-selling products on Amazon cover several product categories, including gift cards, electronics, video games, books, apparel and accessories, pet supplies, and more. Additionally, the top selling items on Amazon vary seasonally, and Amazon’s Best Sellers list updates hourly with different suggestions based on recent user browsing and purchases across the platform.

Some of the best-selling products on Amazon in fall and winter include gift ideas for the holiday season, winterizing tools for vehicles, and heavy-duty blankets and bedding for the cold winter months. Springtime top sellers include swimsuits, home exercise equipment, pool floats, and trendy makeup pallets to prepare for the hottest summer style trends.

The top-selling products on Amazon in different categories include:

  • In Toys and Games, Pokémon cards, and the TeeTurtle reversible Octopus
  • In Camera and Photo Products, telescopes, binoculars with different vision modes, telescopic phone camera attachments, and webcams
  • In Beauty and Personal Care, exfoliants, skin cleansers, makeup applicators, and lip and eye pallets
  • In Pet Supplies, cat food, green doggie waste bags, cat litter, chew toys, pet pads, and pet enrichment toys
  • In Home and Kitchen, satin pillowcases, milk frothers for lattes, LED strip lights, and cast iron cookware
  • In Automotive, cleaning gel putty for consoles and vents, digital tire pressure gauges, Armor All detailing products, and car vent phone clips

Most Expensive Amazon Products, 2022

The most expensive items on Amazon include historic artworks and correspondence, autographed sports memorabilia, watches, collectible coins, and fine jewelry. When looking for the most expensive Amazon item per category, some items may surprise some Amazon visitors.

Key Statistics

  • Abiah Avila Blossom Dance Painting – $10 million
  • 1884 S American Silver Morgan Dollar – $995,000
  • T206 Christy Mathewson HOF Portrait Piedmont – $409,422.59
  • Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona – $169,995
  • Tibetan Buddhism Three Eyes Dzi Bead Necklace Pendant – $169,000
  • Real Russian Sable Fur Coat – $49,000 (starting price)
  • Daum Crystal Grey Blue Horse Magnum Vase – $48,600
  • Lladro Niagara Chandelier – $46,970
  • An English Frigate Painting – $285,000
  • Roberto Clemente H&B Game Bat – $45,536

Sources: Amazon.com, LAB916, 

Conclusion

Amazon dominates the online marketplace and will continue to grow as it acquires new properties and expand its services. Small- and medium-sized businesses can grow with Amazon through FBA with 60% market ownership on the Amazon sales platform, and individuals can establish their own Amazon seller stores to generate over $100,000 in income per year for the top sellers.

As Amazon continues to expand into new markets and build its existing presence in digital advertising, content creation, and app development, the retail giant will continue to build its business and acquisition model to represent even larger market shares. According to Amazon sales statistics, the company currently outperforms the next 14 largest retailers in the U.S. combined.

Related Posts

Push-Pull
cropped push pull

We make brands best in class on Amazon. Let us supercharge your existing Amazon team, or be it! 

Let’s Socialise

Popular Post