Amazon said the 2020 holiday shopping season is its “largest” so far, though the e-commerce giant did not disclose the overall sales it netted during the period.
Independent businesses selling on the platform, nearly all of which are small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), racked up $4.8 billion in sales from Black Friday through to Cyber Monday, an increase of over 60 per cent from last year, Amazon said in a statement.
“To give customers more time to save and more flexibility during an unusual time, Amazon kicked off the holiday season earlier than ever, just after Prime Day [October 13-14],” the company said.
“Through Cyber Monday, 2020 has been the largest holiday shopping season so far in our company’s history.”
Amazon has committed $100 million to help SMBs reach more customers through the holidays.
More than 71,000 SMBs worldwide each achieved sales worth $100,000 during this holiday season to date, the company said.
The e-commerce giant, which had stepped up hiring ahead of the shopping season, said it created nearly 2.2 million jobs to meet the growing demand of customers.
SMBs in the US sold an average of 9,500 products per minute this holiday season to date.
SMBs tend to differ from SMEs by employment, with the former often relying on part-time workers or outsourced staff and the latter employing full-time workers.
“I have seen a lot over 22 peak holiday seasons at Amazon but nothing as inspiring as the grit and determination shown by all the teams in 2020 ... whether it’s our tech teams, operators, drivers, fulfillment employees, sortation and store associates, and so many others,” Dave Clark, senior vice president of Amazon Worldwide Operations, said.
Last week, Amazon said it will pay $500m in additional bonuses this holiday season, bringing its total spend on special bonuses and pay incentives to over $2.5bn in 2020.
The company said it has implemented more than 150 safety measures for employees, associates and drivers to prevent the spread of Covid-19. These include new processes and space planning to ensure social distancing, extra sanitisation stations, the provision of face coverings and daily temperature checks. It will spend nearly $10bn this year to help keep employees safe and deliver products to customers.
Amazon has seen its business boom after stay-at-home directives to contain Covid-19 prompted people to shop online. Its shares have surged more than 70 per cent this year.
“In a holiday season unlike any other, it’s clear that customers still want great deals … we are glad to help deliver smiles throughout the season,” said Jeff Wilke, chief executive of Amazon Worldwide Consumer.
Amazon has also been on a hiring spree in many countries across the world as it looks to meet growing demand. The e-commerce giant said it created nearly 2.2 million jobs ahead of the holiday season.
In September, the company said it is adding 10,000 new permanent jobs and 20,000 seasonal positions in the UK, and 100,000 new permanent and part-time employees in the US and Canada as it expands operations.
It has increased its storage capacity by over 45 per cent across its fulfilment network and opened a new delivery station in the UAE, creating more than 2,000 permanent and seasonal jobs, the company said in a statement last week.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Results:
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah (PA) | Group 2 | US$55,000 (Dirt) | 1,600 metres
Winner: AF Al Sajanjle, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint (TB) | Group 2 | $250,000 (Turf) | 1,000m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes | Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
8.15pm: Meydan Trophy Conditions (TB) | $100,000 (T) | 1,900m
Winner: Art Du Val, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) | $250,000 (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Poetic Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (D) | 1,200m
Winner: Lava Spin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Mountain Hunter, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
Under-21 European Championship Final
Germany 1 Spain 0
Weiser (40')
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
More coverage from the Future Forum
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Znap%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarted%3A%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Uday%20Rathod%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%241m%2B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EInvestors%3A%20Family%2C%20friends%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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RACE CARD
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 (PA) Listed Dh230,000 1,600m
6.30pm: HH The President’s Cup (PA) Group 1 Dh2.5million 2,200m
7pm: HH The President’s Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,200m.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
Starring: Judi Dench, Sophie Cookson, Tereza Srbova
Rating: 3/5 stars
Crime%20Wave
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
