Amazon.com (AMZN -1.35%) said on Tuesday that its customers shopped at record levels again this holiday season, making Cyber Monday "the single biggest shopping day in the company's history," based on the number of items ordered worldwide. Amazon also said that Black Friday was a roaring success, breaking previous records and turning in the "best-ever Black Friday in the company's history."
That theme continued throughout Amazon's press release, which revealed that independent third-party sellers -- mostly small- and medium-sized businesses -- "sold more items on Cyber Monday than any other 24-hour period in the company's history." Moreover, during the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, customers ordered more than 25 million home items and more than 4 million beauty items.
In true Amazon fashion, the company left out any meaningful sales numbers, though it provided plenty of mouthwatering data points for Amazon investors to dig into.
Image source: Getty Images.
Record weekend for Amazon devices
Amazon offers a growing laundry list of its electronic devices that not only boost sales but also expand the company's ever-widening ecosystem. Holiday shoppers purchased a record number of Amazon devices around the globe this holiday weekend.
Compared with the same weekend last year, Amazon said customers purchased "millions more" Amazon devices, including Echo devices, Fire TV devices, Ring video doorbells, Kindle devices, and Fire tablets. The best-selling items overall were the Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick 4K with Alexa Voice Remote.
Other blockbusters
Amazon devices weren't the only best sellers on Black Friday, which included the 8-quart Instant Pot Duo80, the 23andMe DNA Test, and the L.O.L. Surprise! Winter Disco Bigger Surprise.
Toys are a perennial favorite during the holiday shopping bonanza, and Amazon said there were "tens of millions of toys purchased." Bestsellers included a host of products that bode well for both Hasbro and Disney. Monopoly: Disney Frozen 2 Edition was a big seller, as were Hasbro games such as Jenga, Guess Who, and Candy Land Kingdom of Sweet Adventures. Lego Star Wars Darth Vader's Castle was also in high demand.
Another category that Amazon called out as having done particularly well is that of smart home devices. The company said customers bought "millions" but highlighted three high fliers. iRobot's Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum was one such favorite, having been called out by Amazon several years running.
A newcomer to the list was the Furbo dog communication camera, which allows people to see and hear their pets with a wide-angle camera, while giving them the ability to release treats for their furry friends. The device can also alert pet owners to barking, pacing, chewing, or other unwanted behavior, sending an alert so they can check on their canine companion.
Image source: Amazon.com.
Deja vu?
If this latest announcement has a familiar "Ring" to it (pun intended), it should. Investors have become accustomed to seeing Amazon raise the bar, one holiday season after another -- including the company's made-up subscriber loyalty holiday, Prime Day. Back in July, Amazon said Prime Day was "the largest shopping event in Amazon history," as well as the biggest event ever for the company's electronic devices.
This record-setting performance may not be enough to boost Amazon's stock, which is trailing the S&P 500 so far in 2019. Investors have become concerned about the heavy toll one-day shipping is taking on the company's bottom line, which was the main contributor to lower earnings in the third quarter. With record sales during the holiday season, delivery costs will also be on a record-setting pace, which might not bode well for Amazon's next earnings report.
It's important to remember that Amazon's future shouldn't be measured by a couple of quarterly earnings reports. The tech giant is the worldwide leader in e-commerce, cloud computing, and voice-activated smart speakers. That gives Amazon a wide moat, and an investment in the company should be viewed in terms of years and decades, not quarters.
