Amazon released its 2021 Small Business Empowerment Report outlining how it provides opportunities, tools, and services to help more than 500,000 third-party selling partners in the US. The report came just ahead of the Amazon Accelerate 2021 virtual conference for sellers.

“Over 20 years ago, we made the decision to open our store's virtual shelves to third-party sellers. At the time, big-box retailers had been pushing small businesses out of the retail market," said Dave Clark, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer. "But we made a bet that bringing selling partners into our store would not only be a win for customers who want vast product selection, low prices, and fast delivery, but it would also be a win for small businesses that want to reach more customers, increase their revenue and profits, and create good jobs. It proved to be a great bet.”

There are nearly 2 million SMB sellers selling on Amazon's marketplaces globally. In 2020, Amazon added 200,000 new sellers globally, a 45% increase on the prior year.

The number of American sellers who surpassed $1 million in sales grew by nearly 15%. In the 12 months ending on August 31, 2021, American sellers:

• Sold more than 3.8 billion products, averaging 7,400 every minute.
• Averaged more than $200,000 in sales, up year over year from about $170,000.
• Had nearly $2.2 billion in international export sales, up year over year from nearly $1.5 billion.

The top 10 states with the most sellers per capita with the fastest-growing sellers selling in Amazon's stores:

• Delaware with more than 2,000 sellers
• Florida with more than 50,000 sellers
• Utah with more than 7,500 sellers
• California with more than 88,000 sellers
• Wyoming with more than 1,000 sellers
• New Jersey with more than 20,000 sellers
• Nevada with more than 6,500 sellers
• New York with more than 40,000 sellers
• Colorado with more than 10,000 sellers
• Washington with more than 13,000 sellers

The top 10 states with the most year-over-year sales growth for sellers:

• Nebraska with 60% growth
• South Dakota with 40% growth
• Delaware with 35% growth
• Iowa with 33% growth
• Kansas with 32% growth
• Washington with 29% growth
• West Virginia with 28% growth
• Arizona with 27% growth
• South Carolina with 27% growth
• Connecticut with 25% growth

In 2020, Amazon invested more than $18 billion in selling partner success to help sellers quickly launch their businesses in Amazon's store. That investment includes launching new tools and services, and the more than 24,000 employees focused on supporting sellers across the company.