Amazon sales up 40% in second quarter

Net sales reached $88.9 billion in the second quarter for Amazon, up 40% compared to the second quarter a year ago. In the grocery category alone, Amazon saw its sales triple, grocery delivery capacity increased by more than 160%, and they tripled the amount of grocery pickup locations, all in an effort to meet needs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The retailer remarked on the pandemic’s impact on sales. “This was another highly unusual quarter, and I couldn’t be more proud of and grateful to our employees around the globe,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “As expected, we spent over $4 billion on incremental COVID-19-related costs in the quarter to help keep employees safe and deliver products to customers in this time of high demand — purchasing personal protective equipment, increasing cleaning of our facilities, following new safety process paths, adding new backup family care benefits, and paying a special thank you bonus of over $500 million to front-line employees and delivery partners.”

Bezos this week also testified before congress regarding Amazon’s policies around using third-party seller data to enhance private label products and said he couldn’t guarantee that the policy was broken; read his full statement to congress.

Another grocery note from Amazon for the second quarter ended June 30, Amazon said it continues working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand access to online grocery shopping for people who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Amazon now reaches beneficiaries in 39 states and the District of Columbia, providing more than 90% of SNAP households with the ability to use their SNAP benefits online.