iWorld
Amazon posts stronger-than-expected Q2 result
MUMBAI: E-commerce giant Amazon posted much-stronger-than-expected second quarter earnings. Owing to growth in prime subscriptions, cloud computing and nascent advertising business, the company topped $2 billion in quarterly profit for the first time in its history. Analysts predict those two factors will continue to push the company forward in coming quarters.
Net income increased to $2.5 billion in the second quarter while last year in the same quarter the growth was $197 million. Net sales increased 39 per cent to $52.9 billion in the second quarter, compared with $38.0 billion in second quarter 2017. However, the sales growth was slightly below Wall Street’s estimates.
“A big contributor to the quarter and the last few quarters obviously has been strong growth in our highest profitability businesses and also advertising,” CFO Brian Olsavsky said. “We’ve seen a greater-than-expected efficiency in a lot of our spend in things like warehouses, data centres, marketing.”
This was the third consecutive quarter that Amazon has topped $1 billion in profit. Amazon’s cloud computing business, Amazon Web Services division, jumped to more than $6 billion in sales for the quarter. “Amazon Web Services is basically the silver bullet for them for future growth,” Synovus Trust senior portfolio manager Dan Morgan said as quoted by CNN.
“I would say that, in addition to the operating efficiencies, advertising is also starting to make an impact on gross profit, although advertising is smaller in the international segment than it’s in North America, it’s growing at a same rapid clip year-over-year,” Olasavsky said in an earnings call.
“We continue to invest. We’re investing in India obviously, and have seen good traction there. We just passed our Fifth Year Anniversary – celebrated our Fifth Year Anniversary, as the most visited site in India. So we think there’s a lot of great innovation that has continued to occur for Indian consumers and sellers, and that will continue,” he commented on Indian market.
Amazon is on an upward journey this year. Earlier this month, its market value topped $900 billion for the first time. Following the result, the stock jumped 3 per cent in afterhours trading.
e-commerce
Instamart partners with Kalyan Jewellers for Gold Rate Protection this Akshaya Tritiya
Quick commerce platform lets customers lock in gold prices and pay the lower rate on delivery day.
MUMBAI: Instamart has found a golden way to take the stress out of festive buying by letting customers lock today’s rate and still benefit if prices fall. India’s pioneering quick commerce platform has teamed up with Kalyan Jewellers to introduce Gold Rate Protection, a first-of-its-kind feature for Akshaya Tritiya. Customers can now pre-book BIS hallmarked gold coins on the Instamart app between 10 and 16 April 2026 by paying just 5 per cent advance (starting from Rs 500 for a 0.5 gm coin) and take delivery on 19 April.
On the delivery day (between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM IST), buyers will pay the lower of the two prices, the rate locked at pre-booking or the market rate on delivery day. As an added festive bonus, all pre-book customers will receive a free silver coin from Kalyan Jewellers.
Arjun Choudhary, VP Growth at Instamart, said the feature was designed to give consumers greater confidence during the auspicious occasion. “By allowing users to secure a price in advance while still benefiting from any price drops, we strive to offer strong overall value,” he noted.
Kalyan Jewellers, executive director Ramesh Kalyanaraman added, “Gold rate protection has been a preferred feature across our retail showrooms. With Instamart, we are extending this convenience for the first time to a quick commerce platform.”
Last year, Instamart witnessed a surge of over 500 per cent in gold and silver coin sales on Akshaya Tritiya compared to Dhanteras, highlighting the growing trust in quick commerce for culturally significant purchases.
This initiative underscores Instamart’s continued push beyond everyday essentials, positioning the platform as a reliable destination for meaningful, occasion-led buys delivered with speed and trust.
This Akshaya Tritiya, Instamart and Kalyan Jewellers have made buying gold not just auspicious, but also refreshingly smart proving that even in the world of quick commerce, some things are worth the wait (and the protection).
