Amazon is turning 29 on July 5th. In the span of almost three decades, the company transformed itself from a modest online bookstore into a tech and global e-commerce giant.

Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, Amazon has not only revolutionized the way people shop but has also diversified its business into various sectors, including cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence.

To celebrate its 29^th anniversary, we’ll delve into the history of Amazon, tracing its remarkable evolution and unrivaled success.

The Birth of an Idea and the “Get Big Fast”

On July 5^th, 1994, Jeff Bezos launched Amazon as an online bookstore out of his garage in Seattle, Washington. The initial goal was to capitalize on the growing popularity of the internet and create a platform that could offer a vast selection of books to customers worldwide.

First named Cadabra, Bezos chose the name “Amazon” for two reasons: he selected a name starting with ‘A’ because it’s at the top of the alphabet’s list and after the world’s largest river. Exotic and different, he retained the domain’s name as Amazon.com, symbolizing the ambition of becoming the largest online marketplace on the planet. That’s the logic behind the company’s motto “Get big fast”.

Becoming a Technology Giant

Early Years

Amazon quickly outgrew its bookstore origins. Only four months after starting the business, the company was already selling more than 100 books a day. Bezos created not only a revolutionary bookstore but an online community, allowing users to create online product reviews.

In 1998, the company expanded its offerings by including music and video sales, and acquired online bookseller Bookpages, thereby gaining a strong customer base and cementing its dominance in the e-commerce space. By 1999, Jeff Bezos was nominated Person of the Year by Time Magazine, recognizing Amazon’s success in transforming the e-commerce landscape.

Spotting the potential of cloud computing, Amazon introduced Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2006. Since Amazon was an early player, it quickly emerged as a dominant force in the cloud computing market, providing scalable computing power, storage, and database services to individuals, businesses, and organiastions worldwide.

Where Is It Now

In the following years, Amazon ventured into new product categories, enabling today’s consumers to buy just about anything, including clothing, beauty supplies, gourmet food, jewelry, books, movies, electronics, pet supplies, furniture, toys, garden supplies, and household goods. Amazon attracted millions of loyal customers and became a technology giant among the Big Five companies in the United States – among Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta (Facebook).

In 2017, Amazon decided to extend its reach to other sectors by acquiring Whole Foods Market, a prominent supermarket chain that allowed the company to expand its influence in the grocery industry. Likewise, the company made its entrance into the entertainment world with the creation of Amazon Studios, producing original series and films.

Eyes Set on Innovation

Amazon’s success throughout the decades can be largely attributed to its culture of innovation across various sectors and its customer-centric approach. Let’s take a look at some of the most ground-breaking products or services launched by the company.

Amazon Prime, 2000

In 2000, the company introduced a revolutionary feature that forever altered the way we shop: Amazon Prime. This membership program offered subscribers free two-day shipping on eligible items, setting a new industry standard for fast and reliable delivery.

Prime members enjoyed exclusive deals, early access to sales, and free same-day or one-day delivery on select items. The program would solidify Amazon’s position as an industry leader in e-commerce in the next few years. 

Amazon Prime Video, 2006

The launch of Amazon Prime Video in 2006 proclaimed a new era of streaming entertainment, emerging as a strong competitor in the market. Included with an Amazon Prime membership, Amazon’s on-demand video streaming service offers a vast library of movies, TV shows, and original content, with about 24,000 movies and over 2,100 TV shows available in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Kindle e-reader, 2007

Another groundbreaking innovation came in 2007 with the launch of the Kindle e-reader. By changing the way people bought books, Amazon also shaped how they read them, revolutionizing the e-book market.

Amazon introduced a portable and user-friendly device that helps users browse, buy, and read e-books, magazines, and newspapers from the Kindle Store. Kindle offered a lightweight and compact design, allowing users to carry an entire library of books in a single device and access them instantly.

Alexa, 2015

The popular virtual assistant Alexa was introduced to the public in 2015 and it quickly propelled Amazon to the forefront of smart home technology. A symbol of innovation, Alexa’s voice recognition and natural language processing capabilities transformed the way we interact with our homes.

With a simple voice command, users could ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, control smart devices, and even order products from Amazon, becoming an indispensable virtual assistant for millions of people worldwide.

Amazon Go, 2018

In January 2018, the company launched Amazon Go, a chain of cashier-less grocery stores that changedthe traditional shopping experience. Amazon Go stores incorporate advanced technology that enables sensors and cameras to detect items taken from the shelf by the customer.

Customers simply needed to scan the Amazon Go app upon entry, pick up the items and leave the store. The innovative “Just Walk Out” technology automatically charged the Amazon account of the shopper, eliminating the need for checkout lines or cashiers.

Did you know…? Amazon celebrates its anniversary with Prime Day!

In 2015, Amazon decided to celebrate its 20^th anniversary with the introduction of Prime Day, a global shopping event. The first Prime Day took place on July 15^th and lasted only 24 hours. Today, it’s one of the biggest online shopping events globally!

The main goal of Prime Day is to offer a volume of deals greater than Black Friday, exclusively for Amazon Prime members, and it usually takes place in July every year. So you don’t miss out this year, save the date: July 11^th, 2023 – July 12^th, 2023, and enjoy the thousands of discounts Amazon is preparing for you.

Happy Birthday, Amazon!