Once upon a time less than 20 years ago, there was concern that people would not trust providing their credit card information to make online purchases. Indeed, there was a question as to whether people would take the plunge and order holiday presents online. My, how times have changed!
Amazon started out by selling books online. But not too long thereafter, Amazon embarked on a path toward becoming the all-things seller on the internet. For years, Amazon was in the red, playing the long-game, building warehouses, taking on inventory, developing shipping channels, and constantly revising business strategies as part of its all-things plan. Of course, as we know, Amazon as a result of its efforts has become the backbone of the internet when it comes to online sales.
Now that the most recent holiday season has wrapped up, Amazon has taken stock with a press release issued on December 26, the day after Christmas. The headline of the press release reads as follows: “Amazon Customers Made This Holiday Season Record-Breaking With More Items Ordered Worldwide Than Ever Before.”
In the press release, Amazon notes, among other things, that “customers purchased millions more Amazon Devices compare to last year — the best selling Amazon Devices this holiday included the all-new Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick 4K with all-new Alexa Remote, and Echo.”
The press release points to a number of Alexa facts. For example, Alexa set more than one hundred million timers this holiday season. Also, customers asked Alexa to turn on holiday lights tens of millions of times.
Best selling Amazon toys included the L.O.L. Surprise! Glam Glitter Series Doll with 7 Surprises.
Electronics were hot, with best selling items including Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless headphones.
The press release goes on and on in terms of how Amazon broke the internet as far as online sales this holiday season.
No longer is there doubt about whether people will shop on the internet for holiday presents. Indeed, Santa might be breathing a sigh of relief as his sleigh and reindeer do not have to do all the work.
Eric Sinrod (@EricSinrod on Twitter) is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris LLP, where he focuses on litigation matters of various types, including information technology and intellectual property disputes. You can read his professional biography here. To receive a weekly email link to Mr. Sinrod’s columns, please email him at ejsinrod@duanemorris.com with Subscribe in the Subject line. This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s law firm or its individual partners.