Net income for the three months to the end of December was $97m, down from $177m for the same period in 2011.

 

The fall came despite an increase in revenues during the period, from $17.43bn a year ago, to $21.27bn, a jump of 22%.

 

That growth came as the world's largest internet retailer bagged a big share of internet spending during the crucial holiday period. 

 

In after-the-bell trading, Amazon's shares rose by close to 7%.

 

"We're now seeing the transition we've been expecting," said Jeff Bezos, founder² and chief executive of Amazon.com. 

 

"After five years, e-books is a multi-billion dollar category for us and growing fast - up approximately 70% last year. 

 

"In contrast, our physical book sales experienced the lowest December growth rate in our 17 years as a book seller, up just 5%. 

 

"We're excited and very grateful to our customers for their response to Kindle³ and our ever-expanding ecosystem⁴ and selection." 

 

The Seattle-based company also said operating income increased by 56% to $405m in the fourth quarter.

 

"The fourth-quarter operating income was up more than expected," said RJ Hottovy, an equity⁵ analyst⁶ at Morningstar.

 

"This supports the bull case that Amazon can monetise（使货币化） its growth over the longer term."

点击收听单词发音