#162 HTE - 'Amazon Wraps Up Year with Bang and Whisper' 🎉

February 04, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

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☄️ Meta Going All-In on the Metaverse with a Whopping $1 Billion Monthly Investment

😄 Double Your Sales in 2023 with These Coupon Code Ideas That Are Sure to Make You Smile!

🥇 Brand Of The Week - Halfdays

🤙🏻 Boost Your Customer Trust and Sales with Fera AI's User-Friendly Review Management Platform

🤘🏻 Amazon Reports Strong Q4 Revenue but Offers Cautious Outlook for the Future

🎁 Brand Deals Of The Week

📕 Top Reads Of The Week

⚙️ Plenty Of Jobs Await You!

So, scroll down to THE VERY END & read up on what’s yet to come your way!

Meta Going All-In on the Metaverse with a Whopping $1 Billion Monthly Investment

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has released its final financial results for 2022 and it's a mixed bag, folks! While the tech giant beat revenue expectations by a tiny 2%, its revenue still took a nosedive, down 1% from 2021. But don't worry, stock values jumped 17% after the results, so investors seem to be feeling good about it.

Let's take a trip down memory lane - 2022 wasn't the best year for Meta or any other tech giant for that matter. The company saw its first ever revenue decline in Q2 and it only got worse from there. By Q3, the decline had quadrupled and the company lost a whopping $700 billion in market value. To top it off, CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid off 11,000 employees in November.

But, wait, there's more! Zuckerberg has been going all in on virtual reality and his Reality Labs group is a money pit, losing over $9.4 billion in the first three quarters of 2022. And if you thought that was bad, the losses increased even more in the last quarter, reaching $4.28 billion. Despite the spending, the revenue from VR projects has actually declined year over year.

In 2023, Meta expects its expenses to be lower, but it's unclear if that means it will back off from its metaverse spending. Zuckerberg has said that WhatsApp and Messenger will boost income, but app revenue hasn't fully taken off yet.

But let's end on a positive note - the severance pay for the laid off employees didn't hurt Meta's pockets too much. The company even said in its press release that "the impact of the severance...was not material." So, there you have it, a wild and bumpy ride for Meta in 2022, but the company is still chugging along!

Double Your Sales in 2023 with These Coupon Code Ideas That Are Sure to Make You Smile!

Ready to boost your sales and make your customers smile? Then let's dive into some coupon code ideas that are sure to bring a burst of excitement to your e-commerce game!

From discounts to promotions, coupon codes are the secret weapon for any business looking to boost sales and keep customers coming back for more. So, let's have some fun and explore some creative coupon code ideas that will have your sales soaring in no time. Get ready to double the fun and double your sales!

  1. Limited Time Offers

Limited time offers are a great way to create a sense of urgency and drive sales. Use a countdown timer to show customers the time left to use the coupon code. You can also promote these coupons through social media, email campaigns, and other marketing channels.

Example: "Summer Sale - 20% off for the next 48 hours"

  1. Percentage Discounts

Percentage discounts are straightforward and easy to understand. You can offer a percentage off the total order amount, or a specific product or category. This type of coupon code can be used to clear out inventory, or to encourage customers to purchase more items.

Example: "20% off all shoes"

  1. Free Shipping

Free shipping is a popular incentive for customers to make a purchase. You can offer free shipping on all orders, or only on orders over a certain amount.

Example: "Free Shipping on all orders over $50"

  1. Dollar-Off Discounts

Dollar-off discounts can be a great way to encourage customers to spend more money. You can offer a set amount off the total order amount, or a specific product or category.

Example: "$10 off your next purchase"

  1. BOGO (Buy One, Get One)

BOGO offers are a great way to encourage customers to purchase more items. You can offer a free product for every purchase made, or a discount on a second item.

Example: "Buy one shirt, get one 50% off"

  1. Referral Coupons

Referral coupons are a great way to reward customers for referring friends to your store. You can offer a discount to both the referral and the new customer.

Example: "Refer a friend, get $10 off your next purchase and your friend gets $10 off their first order"

  1. Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are a great way to reward customers for their repeat business. You can offer a discount, free shipping, or other perks for customers who make a certain number of purchases.

Example: "Spend $100, get $10 off your next order"

  1. Seasonal Offers

Seasonal offers are a great way to capitalize on specific holidays and events. You can offer a discount, free shipping, or other perk for customers who make a purchase during a specific time period.

Example: "Black Friday - 20% off all orders"

  1. Birthday Coupons

Birthday coupons are a great way to show your customers that you value them. You can offer a discount, free shipping, or other perk for customers on their birthday.

Example: "Happy Birthday! Enjoy 20% off your order"

  1. Abandoned Cart Coupons

Abandoned cart coupons can be used to encourage customers to complete their purchase. You can offer a discount to customers who abandon their cart, or a reminder email with a special offer.

Example: "Complete your purchase and receive 10% off"

  1. Social Media Coupons

Social media coupons can be used to encourage customers to follow your business on social media. You can offer a discount, free shipping, or other perk for customers who follow your business on social media.

Example: "Follow us on Instagram and receive 10% off your next purchase"

  1. Subscriber-Only Coupons

Subscriber-only coupons are a great way to reward customers for subscribing to your email list. You can offer a discount, free shipping, or other perk for customers who subscribe to your email list.

Brand Of The Week - Halfdays

Halfdays is the revolutionary women's ski apparel brand that's here to turn the ski world on its head! No more bulky, un-stylish ski wear. We've got you covered with functional gear that's got both style and fit.

But, it's not just about looking good on the slopes, Halfdays also has a secret weapon for skiing enthusiasts - our Slack community! Join us to chat about your ski plans, organize real-life meetups, and be the first to know about our latest gear launches.

And, we're not just all business. We like to have some fun too! Just check out our cheeky "half day excuse generator" on the homepage. We're here to make skiing not only stylish, but also a good time.

Boost Your Customer Trust and Sales with Fera AI's User-Friendly Review Management Platform

Are you ready to take your customer trust and sales to the next level? Look no further than Fera AI! Loved by thousands of businesses worldwide, Fera is the ultimate solution for managing and showcasing your customer reviews.

With an impressive 5 out of 5 stars rating on the Shopify, Wix, and BigCommerce app stores, you know you're in good hands. With Fera's user-friendly platform, managing all of your store and product reviews has never been easier.

Show off your best reviews with beautiful widgets, store ratings, and product photos that are sure to attract new customers and boost your sales. But Fera doesn't just stop there, it helps you to grow your reviews, photos, and videos from customers automatically, making it easier for potential customers to trust your products and services.

Don't wait any longer to see the results for yourself. Try Fera today and watch your customer trust and sales soar!

Amazon Reports Strong Q4 Revenue but Offers Cautious Outlook for the Future

Amazon released its 1st quarter guidance on Thursday, which was below expectations, despite the company reporting better-than-expected revenue for the 4th quarter. The stock declined in after-hours trading, wiping out most of its gains from the regular trading session. The financial highlights of the quarter include:

Earnings: 3 cents per share Revenue: $149.2 billion, exceeding the expected $145.42 billion (as estimated by Refinitiv)

The performance of other major Amazon segments during the quarter were:

Amazon Web Services: $21.4 billion, slightly below the expected $21.87 billion (as estimated by StreetAccount) Advertising: $11.56 billion, exceeding the expected $11.38 billion (as estimated by StreetAccount).

This quarter marked the slowest year of growth in the company's 25 years of being public, with revenue only increasing by 9%. Ouch! But don't worry, Amazon is still expecting to see some growth in Q1 with revenue estimated to be between $121 billion to $126 billion, representing a growth of 4% to 8%. Yay!

Unfortunately, Amazon's online stores segment had a bit of a rough year, with sales contracting by 2%. But CEO Andy Jassy is determined to turn things around and streamline costs. Amazon even had to say goodbye to 18,000 employees in January and institute a hiring freeze to help control expenses.

Despite all of this, Amazon's cloud business, Amazon Web Services, is still growing, albeit at a slower pace. AWS grew 20% in the fourth quarter, down from 27.5% in the previous quarter. And on a positive note, advertising revenue jumped 19% from the previous year, outpacing other online ad companies like Google, Facebook, and Snap.

Operating income for the quarter came in at $2.7 billion, down from $3.5 billion the previous year. But, the figure includes $2.7 billion in charges, with $640 million being severance costs related to the layoffs.

All in all, it's been a mixed earnings season for the big tech companies, with Apple reporting its first revenue decline since 2016 and Alphabet missing on earnings and revenue. But Amazon CEO Andy Jassy remains optimistic about the future, stating that the company is "encouraged by the continued progress" and is optimistic about the long-term opportunities for Amazon.

Top Reads Of The Week

IN NEED OF A JOB?  WE'VE GOT PLENTY AWAITING YOU!

E-Commerce Account Manager - BEDGEAR

Ecommerce Java Developer - Acadaca

Remote Managing Editor - Adecco

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Director E-Commerce - CyberCoders

CHOOSE SUCCESS below and have a great weekend! Get that D2C business runnin’.