Amazon's Q2 results are in...

Despite a slower retail growth rate this quarter, Amazon continues to outpace the broader market, making it critical for growth-hungry brands.

10 key takeaways for the nerds out there...

(1) Moderated Growth in GMV: Amazon's gross merchandise volume (GMV) grew by 8% year-over-year, driven by slower growth in both 1P and 3P sales. Faster growing categories included Beauty & Personal Care and Home & Kitchen, while slower categories included Books and Video Games.

(2) Market Outperformance: Despite a deceleration, Amazon's GMV growth of 8.7% in the U.S. outpaced the market's 2.6% growth, showcasing its continued market dominance.

(3) Revised Growth Outlook: We have adjusted our 2024 GMV growth forecast to 10% from the previous 12%. This reduction more so reflects broader market weaknesses rather than Amazon-specific issues.

(4) Narrowing 3P Outperformance: The growth gap between Amazon's marketplace (3P) and first-party (1P) sales is narrowing due to tougher comparisons for 3P. We forecast 3P GMV to grow 11.5% Y/Y and 1P to grow 5.4% in 2024, both ahead of the broader retail market.

(5) International Gains: For the first time since 3Q21, Amazon's international GMV outpaced North America, driven by growth in existing markets and increased Prime membership penetration.

(6) Improving Retail Margins: Amazon's profitability is up significantly, with operating margins increasing by 230 basis points compared to 2Q23. This improved financial position enables further reinvestment in growth areas such as low ASP items (re: grocery, low-priced apparel, etc.)

(7) Ad Business Growth: Amazon's ad revenue grew by 20% Y/Y, primarily driven by Sponsored Products, although we see Amazon’s Streaming TV options as a meaningful driver of future growth over the next several years.

(8) Digital Ad Market Outperformance: Amazon exceeded the broader digital ad market by 2.8 percentage points, indicating strong advertiser interest relative to competitors despite it being a mature platform.

(9) Increasing Ad Spend: Advertisers spent 6.8% of GMV on Amazon ads this quarter, up 60 basis points from a year ago, a trend expected to continue as brands strive to remain competitive on the platform.

(10) Stable Prime Program: Prime membership growth has stabilized in the low double-digit range, up 11% Y/Y. Amazon's walking a delicate balance of improving elements of Prime (via more selection, delivered more quickly), but also increasing the price of the program and introducing ads into Prime Video.

All-in, the results we're alright, and maybe disapointing compared to the last couple of quarters.

But despite this, Amazon's market position and profitability improvements signal brands will continue to prioritize as a key account to drive growth for their business.

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