Amazon: shipping costs 2011-2023

Amazon.com's annual shipping costs showed a steady increase from 2011 to 2023. In the most recently reported fiscal year, Amazon's shipping costs amounted to 89.5 billion U.S. dollars, up from 83.5 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year.

Revenue rise and fall  

The increasing shipping costs can be explained by Amazon's rapid growth over the past decade. Although, the road to success has not always been smooth. The general trend from 2015 to 2021 shows that Amazon's net income significantly increased. However, its net income plunged to negative values in 2022, resulting in a net loss of approximately 2.7 billion U.S. dollars. The brand value of the e-commerce giant also took a hit the following year, mainly due to the current market recession and challenging times for tech companies. Nonetheless, its revenue continues to climb, reaching almost 170 billion U.S. dollars in the last quarter of 2023, demonstrating resiliency in times of market uncertainty. 

Herding the online flock 

In December 2023, amazon.com recorded a whopping 2.7 billion web visits. The website is most often accessed by direct search, but consumers also arrive via other sites. In fact, approximately 370 million users click to amazon.com from social media platforms. Among social sites, YouTube refers the most consumers to amazon.com. In December 2023, nearly 60 percent of all social media traffic referrals came from the popular video-sharing platform. Facebook was the second-highest source of referrals, followed by Twitter and Reddit. Thus, social media can be a useful tool for reaching potential customers.