Amazon Q4 revenues reach US$25.5bn – plans for a 4K ultra HD future

31 Jan 2014

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

E-commerce juggernaut Amazon.com reported fourth-quarter sales of US$25.5bn, up from US$21.1bn last year. Net sales grew 22pc compared with the same period last year.

Amazon reported a profit of US$239m for the fourth quarter, up from US$97m a year ago.

“It’s a good time to be an Amazon customer. You can now read your Kindle gate-to-gate, get instant on-device tech support via our revolutionary Mayday button, and have packages delivered to your door even on Sundays,” said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com.

“In just the last weeks, Forrester, YouGov, and ForeSee have all ranked Amazon No 1 – and we believe we’re just scratching the surface of what world-class customer service can be.”

For the full year 2013, Amazon reported revenues of US$74.4bn, up from US$61bn in 2012. This yielded a 2013 profit of US$274m, compared with a loss of US$39m in 2012.

The e-commerce player reported that selection in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library in 2013 grew from 250,000 books to more than 475,000 books. Amazon also worked with the US Federal Air Authority to update its rules on the use of electronic devices on planes and now more than 20 airlines allow customers to use their Kindles gate-to-gate.

Amazon also revealed that its Amazon Instant Video service is working with the world’s leading consumer electronics companies and Hollywood studios, including Samsung, Warner Bros, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Discovery and others to deliver a premium 4K ultra HD experience.

Also, Amazon Studios plans to shoot all 2014 full original series, including comedies and dramas, in 4K ultra HD.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com