Amazon CEO Andy Jassy discussed the growth of the company's Stores team during the second quarter earnings call, according to a July 30 statement. Jassy highlighted innovations in product selection, delivery speed, and the expansion of grocery and pharmacy services.
The company added millions of new products to its selection, including over 700,000 from notable brands. Amazon Haul has expanded its ultra-low-priced selection in the U.S. by nearly 20x since its launch, now offering over six million items priced under $10.
Regarding grocery services, Amazon is the second largest grocer in the U.S. The number of monthly active perishables customers grew over 50% since the start of the year. Additionally, fresh groceries now account for six of the top 20 best sellers on Amazon.com.
Amazon Pharmacy saw a customer increase of more than 2x during the first six months of the year, while same-day prescription deliveries increased nearly 5x. The company stated it saved customers nearly $250 million in out-of-pocket costs so far this year, representing an increase of more than 400% year-over-year.
Delivery speeds reached record levels in the first half of the year. Globally, the company delivered over 40% more items same-day or overnight during the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year. Amazon Now, an ultra-fast service offering delivery in 30 minutes or less, was expanded to 80 new cities and towns in the U.S. and several major cities in Egypt during Q2.
In the area of logistics, Amazon launched Amazon Supply Chain Services, which is already utilized by customers including Procter & Gamble, 3M, Lands' End, and American Eagle Outfitters.
Artificial intelligence continues to play a role in the shopping experience through Alexa for Shopping. Over 350 million customers used the AI shopping assistant in the last 12 months, with active users nearly doubling in Q2.
Furthermore, Amazon expanded Amazon Lens to ten additional countries, making the photo-based search tool available in 21 countries globally.
The company also reported a strong response to Prime Day, noting that customers shopped millions of deals, with more than 80% offered at the lowest price of the year.
