Amazon recruited more shoppers to its Prime program than it has during any other holiday season, helping it achieve a sales record during the Christmas period, the company said Tuesday.
Although a spokeswoman declined to detail how many people tested its subscription service, the online retailer said last season that more than 3 million people signed up during the week before Christmas alone. More than 50 million U.S. households subscribed to Prime as of November, according to the latest estimate by Cowen and Co.
In total, Amazon said it shipped more than 1 billion items this holiday, pushing it to its largest-ever season for sales. The company did not provide a comparable figure for last year.
Separate data from Slice Intelligence shows that Amazon has maintained its strong lead over bricks-and-mortar retailers this season — on the web, at least. That firm's data reveals that Amazon accounted for more than one-third of online shopping receipts from Nov. 1 to Dec. 16.
"The total number of visits to Amazon for the season is greater than the next four retailers combined," comScore CEO Gian Fulgoni told CNBC on Tuesday, referring to eBay, Wal-Mart, Target and Kohl's.
"As the world shifts to more and more use of mobile devices, the Amazon mobile app is so pervasive that it gives them an even greater advantage."
Nearly three-fourths of Amazon customers shopped on a mobile device this holiday, the company said.
The National Retail Federation predicts nonstore sales, which are predominately made up of online revenue, will rise between 7 and 10 percent in November and December.
Amazon's top sellers included several its own devices, which are typically well-promoted on its site. They included the Echo, Amazon's line of internet-connected speakers, which sold out ahead of the holidays.
"Despite our best efforts and ramped-up production, we still had trouble keeping them in stock," Amazon's Jeff Wilke said in a news release.
Aside from its branded products, Amazon listed Levi's jeans, 4K TVs and Keurig coffee makers as other popular products.
