Amazon Prime shipped 5 billion products in 2017, company says
Online retail giant Amazon expanded its dominance of the e-commerce sector in 2017, shipping more than five billion items through its paid subscription “Prime” delivery service, according to company statistics released Tuesday.
The Seattle-based retailer said its Fire TV streaming stick and Echo Dot device were its best-selling items for the year. The announcement marked the first time Amazon has revealed total shipping figures for a full year.
Amazon said its Prime service gained more new members globally than it had in any previous year. However, the company did not reveal the service’s total subscriber base. The Amazon Prime subscription services costs $99 per year and gives customers free two-day shipping.
The company said its Prime Video streaming service, which includes the company’s original content offerings, saw record use in the year. Prime Video streams of 10 NFL “Thursday Night Football” games drew more than 17 million total viewers.
Amazon drew record revenue on its annual “Prime Day” promotion, with sales growth of 60% within the 30-hour window last July. The company also recorded its biggest shopping day in history on Cyber Monday last November.
Amazon shares rose roughly 1.5% in trading Tuesday.
