If you're surveying the current state of the market and are eager to take advantage of the abundance of fantastic companies trading on sale, you're certainly not alone. And you don't need to have a lot of cash on hand to start positions in wonderful companies with promising long-term growth potential. 

For example, if you have $2,000 to invest in stocks right now, here are two superior stocks with explosive long-term growth potential. 

1. Amazon 

Amazon (AMZN -1.64%) investors may have been disappointed by the tech giant's financial results for 2022, but as always, one or two rough reports shouldn't induce you to sell off a stock (or buy one, for that matter). By taking a step back, digging closer into the numbers, and looking at Amazon's continued long-term potential in the key industries in which it operates, investors may glean an altogether brighter picture. 

First off, let's touch on that net loss, which totaled $2.7 billion for the 12-month period. While this was Amazon's first year of unprofitability in almost a decade, this eye-popping figure is easily explained. That net loss was almost entirely due to declines in its equity investment in electric vehicle maker Rivian, a stock that has been absolutely pummeled by the market over the last year. So while painful to see, this doesn't portend an underlying systemic issue with Amazon's business.

Still, the Rivian investment has lent benefits to Amazon's overall business operations, with management noting that in the fourth quarter, the company saw its 10 millionth package delivered using the company's electric vehicles, further streamlining its delivery and fulfillment services.  

Consumer spending habits are in flux right now, given the tough economic conditions many are facing, and it was inevitable that this would impact Amazon's business. Operating income was down but still totaled $12 billion for the full year 2022, and Amazon reported net sales of $514 billion for the 12-month period, an increase of 13% on a currency-neutral basis compared to the full year 2021.  

Amazon took a number of steps to reduce its operating expenses, including a series of recent layoffs, which still comprise a relatively small part of its overall workforce. Meanwhile, growth in its cloud segment is still going strong, with revenue in this business jumping 30% year over year in 2022 to $80 billion. Amazon also remains the foremost presence in the multibillion-dollar cloud infrastructure market, controlling about 34% of all revenue derived in this space.

There's also Amazon's position in the rapidly growing e-commerce industry, a space in which the company captures roughly 40% of all sales in the U.S. alone. While the trajectory of consumer spending may be on uneven footing right now, these aren't long-term trends, and Amazon's market presence means that it's well poised to benefit from a more prolonged recovery in this sector. 

That doesn't even take into account the company's growing foothold in lucrative markets like entertainment and even healthcare. Amazon shareholders may have to be patient, as the near-term environment may not produce the same returns they have become accustomed to. Over the next three to five years and beyond, however, the company's sway over its key operating markets and the exceptional track record of growth it's building upon all portend well for a multiyear buy-and-hold investment. 

2. Pinterest

Pinterest (PINS -0.52%) is known for its image-centric platform and fun visual appeal, which provides a virtually endless well of inspiration for just about any topic users might explore. This platform does a good job of disguising the fact that it is, at its center, an advertising platform, connecting small to large, well-known businesses with a wide-ranging consumer base.

One of the most sticky aspects of the tech stock's platform -- on the consumer side as well as for the merchants paying to advertise on it -- is the fact that its design and layout are extremely conducive to long periods of searching and scrolling. Even if a user isn't searching for one thing in particular, their search results will not only yield content with related or adjacent inspiration but seamlessly integrated ads that fit the overall theme or topic.

In short, even if a user doesn't start out looking for a product or service to purchase, they will easily encounter multiple items throughout their search journey that may induce them to carry that journey to completion and press the buy button. 

Management has said that they are leveraging tools like machine learning and artificial intelligence to better predict and refine user searches and results around the trends and ideas that are most appealing to consumers. And not only is active user growth returning after a series of less-than-dazzling quarterly reports -- which also weren't helped by year-over-year comparisons to supercharged growth periods during the pandemic -- but average revenue per user is steadily increasing.  

In 2022, Pinterest's monthly active users jumped by 4% year over year to 450 million, while average revenue per user soared by 10% year over year. That latter metric was driven by 16% average revenue per user growth in North America in the 12-month period, as well as 7% growth in Europe and 49% in the rest of the world.  

Pinterest is also seeing growing engagement in its cohort of more regular, weekly active users. In the 2022 earnings call, CEO Bill Ready said that "our weekly active to monthly active user ratio is at its highest level ever at 61%. That's clear evidence that we're deepening engagement, as we've been talking about for the last couple of quarters, and finding really good success there."  

In an age when digital users have an increasingly short attention span and are accustomed to instant gratification, a library of compelling video content to drive successful advertising is key. As of the final quarter of 2022, the volume of video content on Pinterest was up 30% sequentially, and 30% of all revenue was being derived from short-form video.

Given the potential of Pinterest's platform as an advertising machine, as ad spending recovers and the company continues its strategy to increase and monetize its user base -- a strategy which is already proving effective -- its balance sheet and shareholders can reap the rewards in the process.