Amazon.com said on Friday that it drew more than 10 million new members to its Prime shipping and digital content service over the holidays and intends to offer one-hour shipping to more cities in 2015. Amazon considers its $99-a-year Prime membership, which confers free two-day shipping and streaming of select movies and songs, essential to driving its growth and margins. It was unclear, however, how many of the 10 million new members were just taking advantage of a standing 30-day free trial offer. The Internet retailer has never disclosed the precise number of Prime subscribers. Analysts estimate it is growing at a rapid clip. Amazon said customers ordered more than 10 times as many items via same-day delivery this holiday season compared with a year earlier. It did not reveal figures for Prime Now, the one-hour delivery option unveiled for parts of Manhattan this month.
Date: December 26, 2014