Tag: Amazon

Amazon supports new charity Second Chance Store launch

Ten employees from Amazon in Dunfermline played a key role in the launch of a new Amazon retail shop for Barnardo’s this week, when they packed and shipped more than 3,500 product donations for the Second Chance Store in central London.

The product selection – consisting of returned and refurbished Amazon items put back on sale at a reduced cost – features in-demand Christmas gifts with up to 50% savings on recommended retail prices.

While thousands of items including nearly-new gaming consoles, personal tech, toys and games have been donated to the high street store located at London’s Brunswick Centre, the range reflects the millions of returned, refurbished and open-box items available to buy at a discount all year-round from amazon.co.uk/amazonsecondchance.

The website also provides customers with information about product repair, recycling in their local community and trade-in for electronics.

“Working on the launch of the Second Chance Store for Barnardo’s has been a great opportunity for us to come together as a team, have some fun and support a charity that does great work in our community in Dunfermline, and across the UK,” said Ben Robertson from Amazon’s Dunfermline fulfilment centre.

“It’s also a great way to help customers see the range and quality of returned and refurbished items that are available to buy from Amazon online every day of the year.”

“Amazon is committed to giving more products a second chance – both through helping customers shop pre-loved, and through programmes to recycle, trade-in and repair products, contributing to a more circular economy,” added John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon. 

“Our Second Chance Store, with all proceeds going to Barnardo’s, is all about offering customers a great way to shop second-hand this festive season, while supporting a brilliant charity we have been working with for many years.”

Across the UK and Europe, customer demand has driven second-hand shopping on Amazon into a billion-pound business.

In the UK alone, Amazon gave a second chance to more than four million products last year, helping British customers save more than £100 million by buying used or refurbished products at a discount.

In the first nine months of 2023, Amazon’s sales of second-hand goods in the UK increased by more than 15% compared to the same period last year.

So far this year, Amazon has facilitated the donation of more than 13 million products to more than 2,000 charities across the UK through its Retail and Fresh operations, and its Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) Donations, a programme which helps independent sellers using the Fulfilment by Amazon service donate their overstock or returned items automatically.

Charities including Barnardo’s, the British Heart Foundation, In Kind Direct, Scope and The Multibank initiative are amongst the donation recipients.

Product donations form one part of Amazon’s circular economy programme. In 2022, Amazon expanded its partnership with WRAP and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to support a global circular economy for products.

The company is also supporting the development of a sorting technology to improve plastic packaging recycling through involvement in the Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0, driven by AIM, European Brands Association and powered by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste.

The Amazon Second Chance Store is an expansion of Amazon’s existing relationship with Barnardo’s, with millions of products donated to the charity since 2019.

Amazon and Barnardo’s also launched a ground-breaking programme called the JOBS Project (Journey of Becoming Successful) which has supported 65 young people since 2021, with an ambition to help 500 people in the next five years, many of whom are care experienced, develop the skills needed to secure work and develop their careers.

As a signatory of the Care Leavers Covenant, Amazon is one of leading employers of care leavers in the UK.

Looking back to look forward: Edinburgh employee shares trailblazing career story

A software development manager from Edinburgh has reflected on his 17-year career at Amazon to mark the company’s 25th anniversary in the UK. 

Since Amazon.co.uk launched in the UK in 1998, Amazon has invested in innovation, local talent and communities across the UK through its world-class development centres in London, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Manchester and Swansea.

The company’s highly skilled workforce has been at the forefront of world-class innovations that are benefitting the lives of customers and employees around the world – from how people watch their favourite shows, to how they shop and work.

Tich Kent, who works at Amazon’s Development Centre Scotland in Edinburgh, is one of the employees who has shaped Amazon’s development in the UK and beyond. He has worked at Amazon since 2005, and has risen through the ranks ever since.

Tich is now a software development manager at Amazon’s Development Centre Scotland in Edinburgh. A tech trailblazer, he continues to revolutionise customer shopping experiences, while setting an example for future generations of software engineers. As Amazon reaches 25 years in the UK, he shares his 17-year career story.

Tich joined Amazon in 2005 and hasn’t looked back since. He was part of the team who coined Amazon’s personalised recommendation tool that suggests items to customers based on their previous purchases and browsing behaviour.

“When I first joined Amazon, we were only selling books, music and DVDs. I was here when we introduced Prime delivery in the UK, and I was part of making the home page on Amazon as helpful to customers as it is today.

As you can imagine, we’ve embraced different ways on how to use AI to make the ­experience even better, so things keep changing and evolving. We’re still at the forefront of jumping on new technology and applying it to benefit our customers.”

Speaking about innovating in this space, Tich says: “By bringing a team of machine-learning scientists and engineers together, we were able to genuinely innovate. Formulating this team was thrilling, as we were working on novel technologies that applied deep learning to a scale that hadn’t been done before, and in such an exciting space.

What Tich and his team did next transformed the customer shopping experience for everyday items. “When we were looking at product recommendations, most approaches filtered out products the customer had previously purchased. This is good in general, but there are a range of products like shampoo and toiletries that need to be repeatedly purchased.

“I was responsible for creating a team to help customers by recommending such repeat products in a timely and engaging manner. It was the first time I had created a team from scratch, setting the vision, experimenting with ideas and measuring our impact. When we had our first successful launch, that validated the team and our approach. I’m still incredibly proud of what we achieved for our customers in such a short space of time.”

Alongside his work at the development centre, Tich is one of the leads for the Amazon Bar Raiser Programme in Europe. A bar raiser is an interviewer at Amazon who is brought into the hiring process to be an objective third party. The goal of the programme is to raise the standard with every new Amazon hire, ensuring that the company is always serving, surprising and innovating for customers.

Tich spoke about why the programme is so important, saying: “Amazon’s bar raiser programme is such a valuable tool, because it means we’ll always be getting the very best talent into the business, so we can keep on innovating, having an experimental mindset, and taking big leaps to solve problems.

“For me personally, the programme also means that I’ve seen incredibly talented people grow and develop over the years. This has been hugely satisfying.”

As a member of Amazon’s community initiatives committee, Tich has also had the opportunity over the years to engage with the community around Amazon Development Centre Scotland. As a Linlithgow local, this is something Tich cares deeply about.

“Another aspect of doing good business is making a positive impact the communities around you. We regularly donate to local charities, many of which I’ve developed a personal relationship with over the past decade. It’s simply being responsible.

“We’re also embracing Amazon’s apprenticeship scheme, and with two apprentices in my own team, I love seeing how the programme continues to grow. There’s so much yet to be done, and I’m excited to be part of it.”

Since Amazon.co.uk launched in the UK in 1998, its mission from day one has been: what can deliver the best experience for customers?

It’s this customer obsession that has been the driving force behind every new product, service and technology that also benefits the lives of communities, small businesses and employees – including the software that enables customers to watch their favourite shows on any device, the just-walk-out technology simplifying how shoppers get their groceries, and the latest robotics helping to pick out customer parcels.

Innovation at Amazon starts with people. The company employs around 75,000 employees who innovate on behalf of customers every day. Amazon is a significant contributor to productivity and regional growth in key cities around the UK, through development sites and collaboration with academic and research institutions.

You can read more at https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/innovation/amazon-innovations-timeline

Amazon Announces New Term-Time Contracts

  • Amazon offers new term-time contracts, providing its operations employees in Dunfermline and across the UK guaranteed time off during Summer, Easter and Christmas holidays, enabling more time with their children
  • The innovative contract is part of a wider flexibility boost which also includes a part-time pick-your-shift option

Amazon has launched an innovative new contract that offers parents, grandparents and guardians of school-age children the choice to work term-time only.

The new contracts, available at the Dunfermline fulfilment centre, guarantee time off for the six-week Summer break, as well as the two-week Easter and Christmas holiday periods, without affecting the comprehensive range of benefits they receive, including private medical insurance and life assurance.

The contracts, aimed at better supporting family needs, were successfully trialed at three sites following employee feedback, and are now being phased in for employees in Dunfermline and across all Amazon’s fulfilment centres – the places where Amazon store, pick and pack items for sale. They will be rolled out to sort centres and delivery stations across the UK later this year.

Amazon also announced a new flexible part-time contract for a minimum of 80 hours a month which lets employees pick and mix the shifts which suit their needs; part-day or full-day, day or night, weekday or weekend. The contract will support people who are unable to find work due to family or other commitments that require flexibility, return to the workplace.

As with all roles at Amazon, a current employee could refer a friend or family member to this option, which could also provide similar, required flexibility to a partner at home. The part-time contract, piloted at five fulfilment centres and now being expanded to a further seven sites, was also introduced as a result of employee feedback.

Jamie Strain, General Manager at Amazon in Dunfermline, said: “We’ve listened to our employees’ views on flexible working and I’m really proud that we’ve introduced new and innovative options based on their feedback.

“Both of these contracts put a really important emphasis on work-life balance and I’m certain they’re going to make a positive difference for many of our people.”

John Boumphrey, Amazon’s UK Country Manager, said: “At Amazon, we’re always innovating for our employees and our customers. I’m delighted to announce these new flexible working initiatives that provide even more choice for current and future employees, enabling them to better manage their home and work commitments.

“Amazon already provides a four-day working week for our fulfilment centre employees in the UK, and term-time contracts are another great example of how we are using feedback from our people to support them with their childcare needs, giving families more time together.”

He added: “Providing a flexible part-time contract where people can pick the shifts that best suit their needs will support our employees’ partners and other job-seekers with family caring commitments a route back to the workplace, helping to boost household income.”

Amazon already offers multiple types of contract. A standard working week is 40 hours, with shift-swaps and part-time options.

Term-time contracts are now available to thousands of Amazon’s fulfilment centre employees. The part-time pick-your-shift option has been rolled out to seven fulfilment centres following a successful trial, with more sites soon to follow.

GRoW (Get Ready for Work) supports women back into the workplace. Director Liz Sewell is particularly interested in term-time contracts: “Term-time working has the potential to give a lot of people the support they need, so it’s an interesting and progressive change at Amazon.

“We know that many women want to work flexible hours and for those with younger children term-time working makes so much sense. We believe it’s a great way to support a widening of the workforce as well as providing valuable flexibility for parents.”

Economic report reveals Amazon’s £1.9bn investment in East of Scotland

Amazon has launched its latest analysis of the company’s regional investment across the UK. The 2022 Amazon UK Economic Impact Hub shows that the company has invested more than £1.9 billion in Eastern Scotland since 2010.

The Amazon UK Economic Impact Hub provides regional data on jobs created by Amazon locally, the number of regional independent small businesses supported by the company, the level of economic activity driven by Amazon’s investments and the export sales recorded last year by small businesses in Eastern Scotland selling on Amazon.

If you click on the Eastern Scotland section of this interactive map, you will see a breakdown of Amazon’s investments and export sales figures for SMEs in Devon.

Below are the key stats covering your region and a quote from the general manager at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Dunfermline.

  • Since 2010, Amazon has invested over £1.9 billion in Eastern Scotland.
  • This investment led to the production of goods and services that contributed an estimated £2 billion to the region’s GDP since 2010.
  • To date, Amazon has created around 2,500 full and part-time jobs in Scotland.
  • More than 50 apprentices in Scotland have qualified from the Amazon Apprenticeship programme since 2010.
  • In Eastern Scotland, there are more than 1,000 small and medium-sized businesses selling on Amazon as independent selling partners.
  • Small businesses from the region selling on Amazon recorded over £30 million of export sales in 2021.

Jamie Strain, General Manager at the Amazon Fulfilment Centre in Dunfermline, said: “Amazon is a proud member of the community in Eastern Scotland, investing over £1.9 billion in the region since 2010 to support local businesses, create jobs and make a positive contribution to the regional economy,  

“We help more than 1,000 small businesses across West Central Scotland sell on Amazon and reach customers around the world, and we also continue to support community organisations across the region through donations and volunteering. Recently, we have donated to a range of good causes including Children’s Hospice Across Scotland (CHAS).”

More details about Amazon’s economic impact in the UK can be found here:

https://impact.aboutamazon.co.uk/

Amazon Goes Gold for Kids with Cancer in September

The team at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dunfermline made a £3,000 donation to Children’s Hospices Across Scotland and a £1,000 donation to Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity as part of the company’s global Amazon Goes Gold for Kids with Cancer campaign during September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. 

Now in its sixth year, Amazon Goes Gold for Kids with Cancer raises funds and awareness for organisations working to increase survival rates for those with childhood cancer through life-saving treatments and research.

A gold ribbon is the universal symbol for childhood cancer, so this year, Amazon employees from Dunfermline held a month-long series of gold-themed events in recognition of the international emblem. 

The team also showed solidarity to children with cancer by donating £3,000 to Kinross-based charity Children’s Hospices Across Scotland and £1,000 to Edinburgh-based charity Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity.

One of the events this year at Amazon in Dunfermline was a Pyjama Day, which saw the fulfilment centre team join with colleagues across the UK to wear pyjamas to work in honour of children who spend every day in their pyjamas during treatment. 

Amazon Dunfermline General Manager, Jamie Strain, said: “We are proud to support CHAS and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity in honour of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and this year’s Amazon Goes Gold for Kids with Cancer campaign.

“We look forward to doing our bit for children with cancer every year, and hope that this donation offers encouragement to the charity’s brilliant team and the families it supports.”

One of the Amazon employees who took part in Amazon Goes Gold for Kids with Cancer is Aoife Considine. She added: “It was great to take part in Amazon in Dunfermline’s Pyjama Day and help spread awareness of the realities of childhood cancer. I’m so pleased that we could offer support to such an excellent charity.”

This year, Amazon employees in the UK also had the opportunity to support children and families affected by childhood cancer by volunteering with childhood cancer charities and organisations, or by putting together activity packs for children facing cancer, which were distributed to nearby hospitals and hospices.

Amazon Goes Gold for Kids with Cancer takes place annually as part of Amazon’s programme to support the communities in and around its operating locations across the UK.

Amazon staff step out in support of Edinburgh Women’s Aid

A group of employees from the Dunfermline Amazon fulfilment centre and the Bathgate Amazon delivery station and sortation centre recently set out to walk from Bathgate to Dunfermline to raise money for Edinburgh Women’s Aid.

The employees set off on their 22-mile excursion from the Amazon delivery station in Bathgate and finished the walk at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Dunfermline. The colleagues joined forces with the team from Amazon’s delivery station and sortation centre in Bathgate with the aim of raising £1,000 for Edinburgh Women’s Aid.

Edinburgh Women’s Aid is a non-profit organisation that offers practical and emotional support to women and young people. Its aim is to provide a safe environment for those in need of protection from abuse.

The team completed the walk in 8 hours and donated a total of £1,740 to Edinburgh Women’s Aid.

The donation from Amazon will be used to purchase safety devices, food vouchers, clothes and other necessities for those using the charity’s services.

Jamie Strain, General Manager at Amazon in Dunfermline, said: “We are proud of the men and women from Amazon in Dunfermline and Bathgate who took part in the fundraising walk for Edinburgh Women’s Aid.

“It was great to see their enthusiasm for a good cause and we are grateful to have them on our team.”

Clare Cornbleet, Senior Delivery Station Manager at Amazon in Bathgate, added: “The sponsored walk for Edinburgh Women’s Aid was a fantastic achievement.

“We want to thank everyone who took part in raising money for the charity at both the Amazon delivery station in Bathgate and at the fulfilment centre in Dunfermline – they’ve helped raise money for a great organisation.”

Olivia Angus, an employee at Amazon in Dunfermline who took part in the charity walk, said: “From everyone who took part in the walk, we want to say thank you for the support from our team at Amazon in Dunfermline and our colleagues in Bathgate.

“It was great to see the team cheering us on at the finish line. Although the weather was not on our side throughout the walk, we had a great time, and it was worth it to be able to provide a donation for such a worthy cause.”

Linda Rodgers, Edinburgh Women’s Aid’s CEO, said: “The team at Edinburgh Women’s Aid would like to say a big thank you to the teams at Amazon in Dunfermline and Bathgate for taking the time to raise money for our charity.

“Well done to everyone involved; your colleagues should be so proud of your achievements.”

The donation to Edinburgh Women’s Aid was made as part of Amazon’s programme to support the communities around its operating locations across the UK.

Small Business, Big Dreams: Amazon to host interactive livestream to help budding owners grow their businesses

 Livestream discussion will take place on Thursday 30th June 2022 on Amazon UK’s Instagram channel, featuring founder of The Break, Patricia Bright; Foolish founder Olivia Attwood; and Montana Brown, founder of Swim Society – all spilling their secrets on what it takes to grow a business today.

These well-known faces will be joined by entrepreneurs from some of Amazon’s successful small business selling partners, including Human Food and Absolute Collagen.

The livestream panel discussion is all part of Amazon’s support of small businesses ahead of its upcoming Prime Day celebrations, with shoppers also in with a chance to Win Big by Supporting Small.

Amazon announces the launch of Small Business, Big Dreams: an interactive, virtual livestream aimed at helping up-and-coming entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.

The livestreamed discussion will explore the future of young entrepreneurship and how to successfully market a business in the ever-changing social media age of 2022.

To tune in for free, head to Amazon UK’s Instagram channel, at 7pm on Thursday 30th June 2022 to take part and submit questions for the panel. 

Last year, Prime Day saw customers spend over $1.9bn globally on more than 70 million small business products during the promotional period, but with a constantly evolving economy, the next generation of entrepreneurs and business owners require the right tools and guidance to help them adapt and succeed online.

Amazon’s Small Business, Big Dreams livestream will give future entrepreneurs inspiration and advice on turning a brilliant start-up idea into a successful business, as well as exploring the impact an engaged online following can have on a brand. 

Celebrity business owners, including Patricia Bright, Olivia Attwood, and Montana Brown, will offer their expertise on a range of useful topics for budding business owners, including the power of influence and the impact it can have on start-ups; going viral and its potential effect upon a business; and how to take a business to the next level once the sales start to come in.

Those who tune in will be able to send through questions in advance for the panel which will be moderated by host, Patricia Bright, to discuss and answer. 

Alongside the celebrities, small business owners Ky Wright of Human Food, Class of 2022 Forbes 30 under 30’s Darcy Laceby of Absolute Collagen, and Olivia Ferdi of TRIP Drinks will join the livestream panel.

As experienced Amazon small business selling partners, they will share their personal advice on why combining social media with selling on a store like Amazon can be a great way to take a business to the next level, and how events such as Prime Day offer huge opportunities to their respective brands. 

The full line-up is:

  • Patricia Bright, founder of The Break, as panel host
  • Olivia Attwood, founder of Foolish
  • Montana Brown, founder of Swim Society
  • Darcy Laceby, co-founder of Absolute Collagen
  • Ky Wright, founder of Human Food
  • Olivia Ferdi, co-founder director of TRIP Drinks
  • Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation

John Boumphrey, Country Manager, Amazon UK said:“We’re so lucky to have such a talented pool of next generation UK entrepreneurs. We know it can sometimes be tricky to navigate the complexities of launching a business in this digital age, so it’s brilliant to see such a great line-up of innovators and experts coming together to give their insights.

“Over 50% of products sold on Amazon in the UK are from small and medium sized businesses, and key events such as our upcoming Prime Day can have a huge impact on start-ups. Our small business selling partners included in the line-up will be sure to impart their expert advice for those who have a dream of setting up their own successful business.”

Patricia Bright, founder of The Break, an empowering online platform for women, said: “I know from experience that starting your own business is never easy, but I’ve been lucky to grow my brand largely in part to social media and I owe everything to my loyal supporters – many who have been with me since day one.

“I’m excited to lead the panel on behalf of Amazon and to join an important conversation around supporting the future of young entrepreneurs in whatever way I can.”

Olivia Attwood, founder of contemporary luxury brand, Foolish, said: “I’ve put my heart and soul into growing the brand identity of Foolish on social media, as that’s where my audience lives.

“I can’t wait to join the panel to discuss how to navigate social media as a brand and hopefully help others thrive as a result!”

Montana Brown, founder of swimwear brand, Swim Society, said: “It’s really important that we support small businesses as much as possible, especially in today’s climate.

“I hope that people send in as many questions as they can during the livestream so we can help them on their business journey.”

This year Amazon has made it easier than ever to support small businesses on Prime Day:

  • Win Big by Supporting Small: From Tuesday 21st June until Monday 11th July, for every £1 spent on eligible small business products, customers will receive a chance to win great prizes. Hundreds of thousands of customers globally will have a chance to win Amazon gift cards. To learn more, visit amazon.co.uk/primedaysweepstakes.
  • Look for the Small Business Badge: Prime members can discover and shop products from small business brands in Amazon’s store with the new Small Business Badge. This new badge makes it easier for members to identify products from small business brands and artisans. To learn more and shop curated collections, visit amazon.co.uk/supportsmall. 

Armed Forces Day – New career at Amazon for Bathgate military veteran

The team at the Amazon delivery station in Bathgate is celebrating Armed Forces Day (25th June) by shining a light on some of the veterans and reservists working across Amazon’s UK operations network. 

One of the veterans currently working at Amazon in Bathgate is Daniel Da Silva, who joined the company in 2020. 

The Amazon Military Programme offers members of the military community the opportunity to pursue a wide range of exciting new career paths at Amazon.

This year Amazon will recruit (or has recruited) over 300 veterans, reservists and military spouses across the business in over 35 different jobs ranging from health & safety specialists, engineers, sales managers and team leaders to senior managers. These new employees join over 2,500 already employed at Amazon since it commenced its military programme in 2011.  

Amazon has been awarded the Employer of the Year Award at the Ex-Forces in Business Awards for two years in succession for its outstanding efforts in supporting ex-services personnel and military spouses. The Ex-Forces in Business Awards is the world’s largest celebration of military veterans in second careers. 

The awards are dedicated to providing a much-needed platform for uncovering and showcasing the business achievements of ex-military, recognising the value veterans add to businesses as well as the employers that support the transition of servicemen and women.

Amazon’s military onboarding plan dedicated mentoring platform and thriving employee resource group ‘Warriors at Amazon’ continue to ensure our ex-forces have the best possible start to their second careers in Industry.

Amazon is also a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. The Covenant, originally introduced in 2011, has a focus on helping the Armed Forces community to access the same support from government and commercial services as the public. 

Amazon first signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2013 and renewed its commitment in 2021, vowing to uphold its key principles and to demonstrate its commitment to serving personnel, reservists, veterans and families.

Daniel Da Silva joined Amazon two years ago and is currently working as a Health and Safety Coordinator based at the Bathgate delivery station. 

Before joining Amazon, Daniel decided at age 17 to join the marines in Portugal. Due to an injury after 12 months of training, Daniel was told he couldn’t finish the last three weeks of his course. After recovering from his injury, Daniel started the same training once again and after 12 months, he received his well-deserved blue beret. 

“At some point in life we all fall, but it is down to us to stand up and use that bad moment as a fuel for something greater,” he said. 

As lockdown struck, Daniel found it very hard to stay at home. His brother was working at Amazon, so he decided to apply for a temporary part-time job but decided to stay on with Amazon after lockdown restrictions lifted. 

“I started to enjoy the diversity of roles here and opportunities and when it came to the time to go back to my previous job, I decided to stay at Amazon,” Daniel said. 

“For six years of my life, I had done a lot of leadership training and learned a lot during that period. I can now use those experiences to put what I learned into practice at Amazon. It’s something that comes naturally to me now. 

“Amazon is a great company to work for and a brilliant place to develop skills. You can go up the levels if you have the passion and commitment to do so.” Daniel added. “Comparing the opportunities that we have at Amazon to the military, it’s a much safer environment and you can spend more time with family, which are two big bonuses for me.” 

Clare Cornbleet, Senior Delivery Station Manager at Amazon in Bathgate said: “The Amazon Military Programme has been a fantastic success and Daniel is one of the many brilliant veterans and reservists working in Amazon buildings here in Bathgate and around the UK.

“The skills learned in the military are highly transferable to a role at Amazon and we’re pleased to continue offering employment, training and development opportunities to former servicemen and women through our programme.” 

Gillian Russell, Principle Programme Manager, Global Military Affairs and retired Royal Navy Officer at Amazon, added: “The military community brings huge value to the workforce and we have a dedicated team focused on bringing that talent into Amazon.

“We offer opportunities across the whole business and we train, develop and support veterans, military spouses and Reserves to flourish and thrive here. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to lean new skills and build their career at Amazon.”

Launched in 2021 the Amazon Corporate Military Internship Program is one such opportunity. It offers a direct path into corporate roles in e-commerce for those transitioning from the Armed Forces.

Those on the programme are supported throughout their transition to the corporate world, including a military mentor who already works at Amazon, tailored support from line management and an on boarding buddy.

To find out more about beginning a career with Amazon, visit Amazon Jobs

Amazon provides competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees. The roles pay a minimum of £10.00 or £11.10 per hour depending on location, and Amazon employees can also take advantage of Amazon’s pioneering Career Choice programme, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, up to £8,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. 

Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as cross-training, transferring to a different department and promotion into a managerial role. 

Amazon has invested over £32 billion in the UK since 2010 to provide convenience, selection and value to UK consumers, while supporting tens of thousands of businesses and creative professionals including small businesses selling on Amazon’s online stores, Amazon Web Services developers and Kindle Direct Publishing authors.  

What can happen in one internet minute?

   

  • Every minute 167 million videos are watched by TikTok users  
  • On YouTube 694,000 hours are streamed each minute, which equates to roughly a month in real-time  
  • On Amazon $283,000 are spent by customers every minute  

What can happen in an internet minute? Millions of videos, messages, emails, and texts are uploaded and viewed, and the content consumed adds up to hundreds of thousands of hours in real-time.  

Every minute 167 million videos are watched by TikTok users, recent research by advertising specialists N.Rich reveals.  

In the study, Statista data was analysed to calculate the public’s engagement with the most popular corners of the internet.  

Facebook receives 44 million views each minute via Facebook Live. While on iMessage 12 million messages are sent on the Apple service in the same timeframe.  

Each internet minute, 5.7 million searches take place on Google. While on Snapchat 2 million messages are sent via the app in that period of time.  

Each minute, 694,000 hours are streamed on YouTube, which equates to roughly a month in real-time. 

Newbie app Discord is responsible for 668,000 messages being sent every minute.  

On Twitter, 575,000 tweets are posted during the same timeframe.  

Video streaming site Netflix is also popular, with 452,000 hours watched each minute on the website. 

Amazon lives up to its powerhouse reputation, with $283,000 spent on the e-commerce site each minute. That’s almost $7 million spent within 24 hours. 

Commenting on the study, a spokesperson for N.Rich said, “With a vast number of people online and advertisers vying for the attention of potential customers, it’s vital that you speak to customers in a way that they hear you and feel heard too.

“You wouldn’t speak to your best friend the same way as your grandmother. That’s why you need to adjust your message for each platform and find the right customers where they are – be it on TikTok, Facebook, or elsewhere. ”  

One internet minute 

Platform  Amount per minute 
TikTok 167 million videos watched by users  
Facebook Live 44 million views received 
iMessage (via Apple) 12 million messages sent 
Google 5.7 million searches 
Snapchat 2 million messages sent 
YouTube 694,000 hours streamed  
Discord 668, 000 messages sent 
Twitter 575, 000 tweets posted 
Netflix 452, 000 hours watched 
Amazon $283,000 spent  

The study was conducted by  N.Rich, which offers a rich array of intent data and ad inventory that enable marketers to drive awareness and lead generation effectively.   

Amazon hiring 100 tech and corporate people in Scotland

Amazon creates highly skilled jobs for Scotland across a wide range of professions, from software developers and product managers, to machine learning specialists

Job-seekers encouraged to take advantage of Amazon Career Day, one of the biggest free virtual training and recruiting events in the UK

Amazon, which has a development centre in Edinburgh and currently employs over 2,500 people in Scotland, is hiring for 100 tech and corporate jobs locally.

The majority of roles are for highly skilled jobs across a wide range of professions, from software developers and machine learning specialists, to applied sciences and product managers. Edinburgh was Amazon’s first research and development centre outside of North America and it has a well-earned reputation as a global centre for innovation, software engineering and machine learning.

Graeme Smith, Managing Director, Amazon Development Centre Scotland (ACDS), (above) said: “These highly skilled jobs join our incredibly talented teams in Scotland and provide exciting opportunities for those who want to be at the cutting edge of global technology.

“Our employees benefit hundreds of millions of customers around the world by focusing on personalised shopping recommendations, digital advertising and research and development.”

Amazon has more than 2,500 employees in Scotland – across the Amazon Development Centre in Edinburgh, fulfilment centres in Dunfermline and Gourock, as well as the Prime Now site in Glasgow, Customer Service Centre in Edinburgh and delivery stations in Edinburgh, Dundee, Bathgate, Aberdeen, Baillieston and Motherwell.

Job-seekers who are looking for a new role or to transition to a different career – at Amazon or at another company – are also being encouraged to participate in Amazon Career Day on Thursday 16 September, a free virtual training and recruiting event.

The day will give attendees the opportunity to participate in one of the 3,000 one-to-one career coaching sessions with Amazon recruiters to help participants land their next job and view livestreamed sessions with Amazon employees and industry experts.

People can register at amazoncareerday.com, where Amazon Career Day content will be available to view on demand for one month after the event.

The initiative takes place in the context of new research from Amazon, surveying 1,000 professional (employed and unemployed) adults in the UK in August 2021, highlighting:

·       21% of UK professionals are actively searching for a new job

·       A further 38% of UK professionals are interested in finding a new job, but not actively looking

·       Among employed adults in the UK, 29% say the COVID-19 pandemic has caused them to reconsider their career paths

·       42% of active UK job-seeking adults are interested in pursuing opportunities in industries they do not currently have experience in

·       78% of professionals in the UK say they want more job training/resources

“We are working hard every day to be the best place for people to have satisfying and fulfilling long-term careers,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

“Amazon continues to grow quickly and relentlessly invent across many areas, and we’re hoping that Career Day gives job seekers the support they need to learn new skills or reimagine their careers at Amazon or elsewhere.

“Whether you’re looking to start your first job, to gain new skills, or thinking of a completely fresh start in a new field, we have thousands of exciting opportunities available right across the UK,” said John Boumphrey, Amazon UK Country Manager.

“We created Career Day to provide free guidance, coaching and inspiration to anyone who wants to develop their career, whether that’s with Amazon or somewhere else.

“Whether you see your long term future at Amazon or elsewhere, we provide a wide range of training and development opportunities to take your career to the next level.”

Career Day attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Amazon employees including gaming, robotics, AI and sustainability experts, as well as colleagues who have joined Amazon on fully-funded apprenticeships. Each will reveal what they do, what their career path was, and what it’s like working at Amazon.

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce will also be hosting a panel about apprenticeships at Amazon and opportunities for people of all ages and skill levels to diversify and progress their careers.

Amazon now employs over 55,000 employees across the UK. All Amazon jobs come with competitive pay and benefits, whether they are based in a fulfilment centre or in a corporate office.

For hourly workers, pay starts at a minimum of £10.00 p/h. Amazon employees work in some of the most advanced workplaces of their kind in the world, with a comprehensive benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount, which combined are worth more than £700 annually, as well as a company pension plan.

This year, Amazon has created 10,000 new permanent jobs and 1,000 new fully-funded apprenticeship roles.

For employees who see Amazon as a stepping stone to a future career outside of Amazon, it has also created a pioneering Career Choice programme, through which Amazon pre-pays up to 95% of tuition fees for nationally recognised courses, ranging from accountancy to HGV driving and software development.

Up to £8,000 of tuition fees over four years is available through the programme. Amazon is partnering with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and local businesses on the programme to identify regional skills shortages and focus training on local demand – this will help meet the UK’s future employment needs outside of Amazon.