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| Amazon 2017 sales jump by nearly a third | Amazon 2017 sales jump by nearly a third |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Online retailer Amazon saw sales jump by nearly a third last year, helped by growth in its Prime delivery service. | Online retailer Amazon saw sales jump by nearly a third last year, helped by growth in its Prime delivery service. |
| Full-year revenue came in at $177.9bn (£124.6bn), a rise of 31%, while profit hit $3bn, against $2.4bn in 2016. | Full-year revenue came in at $177.9bn (£124.6bn), a rise of 31%, while profit hit $3bn, against $2.4bn in 2016. |
| The company reported record sales in the final three months of the year, driven by a surge in online shopping over the holiday season and demand for its cloud services. | The company reported record sales in the final three months of the year, driven by a surge in online shopping over the holiday season and demand for its cloud services. |
| Shares in Amazon rose by 6% in after-hours trading. | Shares in Amazon rose by 6% in after-hours trading. |
| The company said more than five billion items were sent using its Prime shipping service worldwide in 2017. | The company said more than five billion items were sent using its Prime shipping service worldwide in 2017. |
| Amazon reveals plan to enter healthcare | Amazon reveals plan to enter healthcare |
| The supermarket with no checkouts | The supermarket with no checkouts |
| Amazon raises monthly Prime price in US | Amazon raises monthly Prime price in US |
| It added that more "new paid" members joined the scheme than in any previous year, both worldwide and in the US. | |
| More than four million people signed up in one week alone last quarter Amazon said. | |
| Prime members have access to fast shipping, exclusive TV shows on Amazon Prime Video and extra benefits when using the company's voice-controlled Alexa digital assistant. | Prime members have access to fast shipping, exclusive TV shows on Amazon Prime Video and extra benefits when using the company's voice-controlled Alexa digital assistant. |
| Amazon has focused on boosting Prime subscribers, which its chief financial officer has previously called its "most important customer base". | Amazon has focused on boosting Prime subscribers, which its chief financial officer has previously called its "most important customer base". |
| Prime subscribers tend to do more shopping with the company, although Amazon has not said how many people it has signed up so far. | Prime subscribers tend to do more shopping with the company, although Amazon has not said how many people it has signed up so far. |
| The company's boss Jeff Bezos said projections for its Alexa assistant had been very optimistic and the company had "far exceeded them". | The company's boss Jeff Bezos said projections for its Alexa assistant had been very optimistic and the company had "far exceeded them". |
| "We don't see positive surprises of this magnitude very often - expect us to double down." | "We don't see positive surprises of this magnitude very often - expect us to double down." |
| 'Eye-popping' | 'Eye-popping' |
| The company said fourth-quarter sales rose by 38% to hit a quarterly record of $60.5bn (£42.4bn). | The company said fourth-quarter sales rose by 38% to hit a quarterly record of $60.5bn (£42.4bn). |
| Fourth-quarter profits more than doubled to $1.9bn against $749m in the last three months of 2016. | Fourth-quarter profits more than doubled to $1.9bn against $749m in the last three months of 2016. |
| The figures were boosted by a tax benefit of about $789m related to the new US tax law. | The figures were boosted by a tax benefit of about $789m related to the new US tax law. |
| The results also include the contribution from the Whole Foods grocery store chain, which Amazon bought last year. | The results also include the contribution from the Whole Foods grocery store chain, which Amazon bought last year. |
| "This was another blow-out quarter for Amazon," said analyst Daniel Ives of GBH Insights. | "This was another blow-out quarter for Amazon," said analyst Daniel Ives of GBH Insights. |
| "The retail strength was eye-popping as the company had a banner holiday season and looked to capture roughly 50% of all e-commerce holiday season sales." | "The retail strength was eye-popping as the company had a banner holiday season and looked to capture roughly 50% of all e-commerce holiday season sales." |