I’m trying to work out what percentage of the Western World has heard of Amazon, let alone bought something from this global phenomenon. The answer must be, pretty much everyone.

Amazon needs no introduction. A net revenue of over $469 billion in 2021 makes Amazon one of the highest earning companies worldwide. Amazon has 300 million active users, and 197 million people visit Amazon.com every month. Amazon ships internationally to over 100 countries, and employs over 1.5 million people worldwide, including 1 million in the US.

In 1995, Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in his garage, and opened as an online bookseller. In 2022, Bezos is the second richest person in the world, owning a company that sells pretty much everything. This leads us to the all-important question, that is, what does Amazon not sell? These few items include Cars, Pets, and Property – yet. But the fact that contact lenses and fireworks are on a top-10 list tells you all you need to know.

Amazon celebrated their 20th anniversary in the UK in 2018, and have shared some data to match. Between 2010 and 2020, Amazon made direct investments in UK operations of over £32 billion, through infrastructure, fulfilment centres, and offices.

Their production of goods and services have contributed £36 billion to the UK’s GDP in the same period, whilst permanent workforce numbers stood at 55,000 in 2021. 65,000 UK-based small and medium-sized enterprises sell their products in Amazon’s stores, achieving total sales of £3.5 billion, whilst indirectly supporting 175,000 more jobs. In total, Amazon directly or indirectly employs 380,000 people across the UK, equivalent to over 1% of the UK’s workforce.

However, Amazon has been questioned on many occasions, as to why they don’t pay more tax in the UK. In 2020, Amazon directly incurred £492 million in taxes, contributing £1.55 billion in total, yet they received net sales of over £20 billion. Amazon’s direct taxes in 2020 were equivalent to only 2.3% of its total revenue in the UK.

Furthermore, the pandemic saw unprecedented rises in online shopping, and Amazon certainly reaped the rewards. However, Bezos insists he doesn’t ‘avoid tax’, and that Boris Johnson will have to do more, in order to earn more.

From 2019 to 2020, Amazon’s net sales increased by 38% globally ($281bn to $386bn), and by over 50% in the UK ($17.5m to $26.5m). In fact, Amazon has been earning more and more each year over the last decade. In addition to online sales, Amazon now have nine UK based convenience stores, with the first Amazon Fresh supermarket opening in Ealing Broadway, West London, in March 2021, the first outside of the US.

The growth of this global giant has led to claims that “Amazon is destroying the British high street”. For what seems like the majority of people, the one-stop-shop that is Amazon is now the go-to for gifts, gadgets, and goods. This is because using Amazon to order online is easy, delivery is super-fast, and choice is almost endless. If Amazon want to sell a new product, they already have the website, warehouse capacity, and delivery services to do so.

They are simply one-step ahead, more likely four or five, of pretty much every retail company worldwide. Amazon is the future of retail, whether the British high street likes it or not.