Online shopping giant Amazon has revealed that over 150 million people across the UK and around the world are now signed up to its Prime subscription service, giving them access to free next-day delivery alongside a number of other perks.

This announcement coincided with the firm announcing that its sales grew by a fifth over the course of 2019, allowing it to rake in more than $280 billion globally in the last 12 months.

Its profits were up by over $3 billion during the final three months of the year, meaning that it is managing to make serious cash by selling products via safe shopping online and also by guaranteeing customer loyalty through the Prime service.

Founder Jeff Bezos said that Prime is both gaining momentum and improving its features to keep current users on board, combining faster delivery times and richer offerings elsewhere, including across its video streaming service.

Another aspect of Amazon’s dominance comes in the form of the Alexa-powered speakers and smart devices that are now popping up in millions of households. Every week there are billions of requests, searches and interactions with these devices taking place worldwide, which makes things convenient for users while also giving Amazon access to vast reams of data which it can act on to improve the accuracy of its voice-controlled capabilities and also better target ads and suggestions.

In addition to growing its e-commerce services and boosting sales, Amazon has also been eager to talk about its eco ambitions, promising to cut its net carbon emissions to zero within the next two decades. Setting an example like this, which other retailers will hopefully follow, will allow it to appeal to consumers who are more aware of the environmental crisis facing the world at the moment.