Kentucky-based small businesses are achieving remarkable success through Amazon’s online marketplace, with local sellers averaging over $180,000 in annual sales and moving more than 20 million items in 2024, according to Amazon’s newly released 2024 Small Business Empowerment Report.
The report highlights how small businesses, including those in Kentucky, are leveraging Amazon’s tools and innovations to scale their operations. Since the launch of Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) in 2006, independent sellers have shipped more than 80 billion items through the program, allowing them to offer fast, reliable shipping while focusing on product development.
“Kentucky’s small businesses continue to impress us with their innovation and growth on Amazon,” said Deborah Massie, Amazon’s Economic Development Manager. “Their success is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit of Kentuckians and demonstrates how e-commerce can help local businesses reach customers far beyond the Bluegrass State.”
The success of these independent sellers is having a positive impact on local communities. In 2024, sellers employed more than 2 million people in the U.S. to support their Amazon businesses, with over 65% of these jobs created within 50 miles of the seller’s primary business location.
Kentucky businesses are part of a larger transformation in retail, with independent sellers now accounting for more than 60% of Amazon’s total sales. Nationally, these sellers have generated over $2.5 trillion in sales over the past 25 years and exported more than 2.5 billion items globally since 2000.
Small businesses in rural areas and small towns across America, including in Kentucky, have seen sales increase by 30% year over year. This demonstrates how entrepreneurs are using Amazon’s infrastructure to reach customers well beyond their local markets.
FBA has been particularly impactful, providing small businesses access to logistics capabilities once available only to the largest retailers. This has enabled same-day or next-day delivery for many items, delighting customers and accelerating sales growth for small businesses.
For more information about the 2024 Small Business Empowerment Report, visit https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/small-business/amazon-2024-small-business-empowerment-report
