Optimal Prime: Amazon’s big quarter reveals its post-pandemic potential
April 30, 2021 at 9:46 am
Amazon Prime trailers are an increasingly common sight on Interstate 5, reflecting the company’s rapid growth. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop)
Year-over-year quarterly growth of 44% would be significant for any company, but when the underlying numbers are this big, it starts to qualify as astonishing.
Amazon’s first-quarter sales of $108.5 billion compared with $75.5 billion a year earlier, setting a new record for the Seattle-based e-commerce giant and providing a glimpse of its strong position as the world emerges from the pandemic.
The company is easing its spending on COVID-19 initiatives, but consumers’ online purchasing habits appear to have changed permanently.