A new report from Amazon reveals Kentucky-based small businesses are seeing remarkable success through the company’s online marketplace, with local sellers averaging more than $180,000 in annual sales and moving over 20 million items in 2024.
The 2024 Small Business Empowerment Report highlights how small businesses, including those in Kentucky, are leveraging Amazon’s powerful tools and innovations to scale their operations.
Since the launch of Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) in 2006, independent sellers have shipped more than 80 billion items through the program, allowing them to offer fast, reliable shipping while focusing on product development.
Heirloom Traditions Paint in Taylorsville, founded by Paula Blankenship in 2013, exemplifies this success.
“Amazon levels the playing field. If you’re in a small community like we are, you can scale nationwide with FBA,” explained Blankenship. “When customers see Prime, they know the product is going to get there in one to two days. People today value their time as money. Fast shipping matters.”
The report showcases how Kentucky businesses are part of a larger transformation in retail, with independent sellers now accounting for more than 60% of Amazon’s total sales. Nationally, these sellers have generated over $2.5 trillion in sales over the past 25 years and exported more than 2.5 billion items globally since 2000.
Small businesses in rural areas and small towns across America have seen sales increase by 30% year over year, demonstrating particular strength in regions like Kentucky where entrepreneurs are using Amazon’s infrastructure to reach customers well beyond their local markets.
FBA has been a game-changer for many small businesses, providing them access to logistics capabilities once available only to the largest retailers. This has enabled same-day or next-day delivery for many items, delighting customers and accelerating sales growth for small businesses.
For more information about the 2024 Small Business Empowerment Report click here.
Amazon’s Air Hub in Hebron, an 800,000 square foot facility located at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, is the company’s largest hub in the world.
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