Amazon Marketplace merchants in the UK have received about 400 million product orders in the past 12 months.
According to Amazon’s 2015 summer report, Amazon Marketplace sellers in the UK have made billions of pounds from purchases by UK customers alone.
Worldwide, more than two billion items were ordered from third-party businesses through the Amazon Marketplace.
“Amazon Marketplace continues to offer an ever-increasing number of small and medium-sized UK retailers a virtual shop window viewed by tens of millions of customers across Europe and around the world,” said the Amazon report.
“Increasingly, these sellers are reaching customers living outside their home countries – both across borders within Europe and around the world.”
As the popularity of online shopping grows, so do its associated businesses and Amazon says the number of UK sellers earning more than £1m in revenue has risen by 35% over the past year.
Sellers are also increasingly reaching consumers outside their regional marketplace, both in and outside Europe, helping them to overcome some of the problems faced by digital merchants selling overseas.
Amazon saw a 70% year-on-year increase in the number of sellers on its Amazon Marketplace using its Fulfillment by Amazon service, in which Amazon stores and ships products on behalf of third-party merchants.
The retailer claims that seven out of 10 of the top UK Amazon Marketplace sellers in any given product category will use the Fulfillment by Amazon service.
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Amazon also reported a growing trend of customers demanding faster delivery times. More and more customers are opting for the Amazon Prime next-day delivery service, which has seen a 50% increase in customers over the past year.
Transparency of goods is also becoming more important to consumers. Recent research by Oracle found click-and-collect to be the most sought-after delivery option, with 60% of shoppers saying the service made their lives easier.
To meet some of this demand, in June 2015 Amazon launched its Prime Now service, which offers one-hour delivery within selected London postcodes. This will be extended to the rest of London and other cities by the end of the year.
The report said: “In the past, delivery times of three days were the norm, but the vast majority of customers are now looking for a much faster service.”
