Valerie McCluskie of Inverness is 2 millionth shopper ;Amazon.co.uk customer base doubles in less than eight months

London: 12 September 2000:Amazon.co.uk announced (today) that it is the first e-commerce site in Europe to serve two million individual customers. The two-millionth customer, from Inverness, Scotland, made the record-setting purchase on 12 August 2000.

Amazon.co.uk, ranked number one in Europe* as the most visited retail site, has doubled its customer base in less than eight months, showing a marked acceleration in customers turning to the Internet for their shopping needs. The site has recorded an average growth of over 125,000 new customers each month this year.

Valerie McCluskie (aged 29) of Inverness, was the two millionth customer to make a purchase from Amazon.co.uk when she bought - Hearts In Atlantis by Stephen King; Inconceivable by Ben Elton; Let It Bleed by the Rolling Stones and The Soul Cages by Sting. It was the first time she had ordered from Amazon.co.uk. Amazon.co.uk gave her a virtual trolley dash and Steve Frazier, managing director of Amazon.co.uk, appeared at her door laden down with her gifts.

Frazier said "Our customers are clearly enjoying shopping online. Because Amazon.co.uk works so hard to deliver a great customer experience and earn customer confidence, we are continuing to expand our customer base, and we're grateful that more and more people are shopping with us."

"I was amazed by how easy it was to order and how quickly everything got to me - I've really enjoyed my shopping spree and I'm going to give some of my gifts to the local hospital and school," said Valerie McCluskie.

Amazon.co.uk's growth has accompanied its expansion into new product areas. Its DVD and Video store was launched in March 2000 followed by the launch of Software and PC & Video Games in July 2000. The new stores joined the existing books, music, auctions and zshops stores.

Since opening its virtual door Amazon.co.uk has sent packages the length and breadth of the UK, from Lands End to the Outer Hebrides.

2 million customers - facts and figures

The first book bought as Amazon.co.uk opened its doors in 1998 was Terry Pratchett Strata.

The first CD sold was Shania Twain Come on Over and the first CD single (launched August 2000) was Spiller Groovejet (If This Ain't Love).

The first DVD sold was The Matrix and the first VHS video sold was Star Wars: Episode One.

The first video game sent to a customer was Grand Prix 3.

The first software package bought was Autoroute 2001.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire received over 65,000 pre-orders, the most pre-orders for a title to date; it was the biggest selling book in e-tailing.

Amazon.co.uk has sent packages to every town in the United Kingdom and to over 150 countries worldwide.

Bestsellers at Amazon.co.uk include: J.K Rowling, Jamie Oliver, Helen Fielding, Macy Gray, Travis and Moby.

Over 450,000 Amazon.co.uk customers have written reviews about their purchases.

 

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For more information contact the Amazon.co.uk press office on 0208 636 9280.

About Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk today offers more than 2 million books, CDs, DVDs, software titles, video games and videos, hosts online auctions and provides a complete online storefront for individual merchants through its zShops. Amazon.co.uk customers enjoy the benefits of industry-leading, online shopping technology such as secure credit-card payment; personalised recommendations; streamlined, 1-Click. ordering and hassle-free Bid-Click auction bidding. Through Amazon Anywhere, Amazon.co.uk also is available on mobile phones with WAP technology; look at www.amazon.co.uk/anywhere for details.

Amazon.co.uk is the trading name for Amazon.com Int'l Sales, Inc., and Amazon.com International Auctions, Inc., which are both wholly owned subsidiaries of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), the Internet's No. 1 book, No. 1 music and No. 1 video retailer, which opened its virtual doors on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and has already provided safe and convenient shopping to more than 23 million customers worldwide.