Amazon Shares Q2's Wins and Losses
Amazon is sharing its wins and losses for the second quarter ended June 30. Over that time period, the online retailer saw net sales increase 7% to $121.2 billion over the second quarter of 2021, but also saw a net loss of $2 billion versus the same time period last year.
The company’s operating cash flow decreased 40% to $35.6 billion for the 12 months prior to June 30, compared with last year's $59.3 billion for same time period. Free cash flow decreased to an outflow of $23.5 billion for the 12 months prior, and free cash flow less principal repayments of finance leases and financing obligations decreased to an outflow of $33.5 billion for the trailing 12 months.
Additionally, operating income decreased to $3.3 billion, compared with $7.7 billion in the second quarter of 2021.
“Despite continued inflationary pressures in fuel, energy and transportation costs, we’re making progress on the more controllable costs we referenced last quarter, particularly improving the productivity of our fulfillment network,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO.
“We’re also seeing revenue accelerate as we continue to make Prime even better for members, both investing in faster shipping speeds, and adding unique benefits such as free delivery from Grubhub for a year, exclusive access to NFL Thursday Night Football games starting Sept. 15, and releasing the highly anticipated series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on September 2,” Jassy continued.
On the grocery front, the e-retailer opened 12 Amazon Fresh stores across the U.S. and the U.K., and also introduced the next-generation Amazon Dash Cart, which is poised to expand to its first Whole Foods Market store. The newly launched Store Analytics service is also providing brands with insights about the performance of their products, promotions and ad campaigns in Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores in the U.S.
Amazon also expanded its acceptance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) payments to groceries at Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market stores across 48 states and Washington, D.C.
The company's technology is advancing in other ways, including the announced rollout of the first Prime Air drone deliveries in Lockeford, Calif., and College Station, Texas, later this year. Amazon has also launched its Just Walk Out technology and Amazon One for palm recognition and payment service at several third-party locations, including the Walk-Off Market store at T-Mobile Park in Seattle and the Hudson Nonstop store in Nashville International Airport.
Amazon further shared that its recent Prime Day sales event was the largest to date, with Prime members across the globe purchasing more than 100,000 items per minute between July 12 and June 13. The company also rolled out new perks for Prime members, including a free one-year Grubhub+ membership, a year-round 20% discount on select items at Amazon Fresh stores and deals on home entertainment.
Seattle-based Amazon is No. 2 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
