Retail is one of the finest long-term investing markets due to its constant growth. The industry includes food, e-commerce, consumer tech, and more, giving investors gains from dozens of areas. The global retail market was $27 trillion in 2022 and expected to reach $30 trillion this year.
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) dominates consumer electronics markets including smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and headphones. With a smaller product lineup than its competitors, Apple has the third-largest U.S. e-commerce market share.
Apple's stock is hard to evaluate when Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) exists. The corporation is the world's second-largest retailer (behind Walmart) and e-commerce leader. Amazon's varied business approach has given it a 31% market share in the $626 billion cloud market.
The Nasdaq Composite fell 33% in 2022 due to an economic slowdown. Retailers suffered as inflation drove consumers to curtail discretionary spending. Amazon shares sank 50% in 2022 as its e-commerce profits plummeted.
Since then, the company has recovered well, demonstrating its stability and resilience. Amazon's fiscal 2023 sales climbed 12% to $575 billion and operating income tripled to $37 billion. In the recent year, cost-cutting and inflation reduction boosted the company's e-commerce operation and free cash flow by 904% to $32 billion.
In fiscal 2023, Apple's sales fell 3% to $383 billion while free cash flow climbed 10% due to macroeconomic pressures. Amazon's performance last year shows the value of long-term investing. The retail behemoth has overcome macroeconomic obstacles, making its shares a good long-term investment. Its large cash reserves allow it to develop and invest in high-growth fields like AI.
Amazon rules e-commerce in dozens of nations, a sector predicted to reach $3.6 trillion in 2024 and rise 10% through 2028. The tech company may benefit from sector tailwinds for years. Amazon Web Services (AWS) drives Amazon's growth. Platform sales grew 13% to $24 billion in Q4 2023. Despite earning the least revenue of its three businesses, AWS generated 54% of the company's operating income.
Amazon benefits from AWS's leadership in AI, a sector expected to grow 37% by 2030. As the world's largest cloud provider, AWS might lead the generative AI market with its vast cloud data centers. Amazon joined the market by adding AI technologies to AWS and launching Rufus, an AI shopping assistant on their website.
Amazon's share price would climb 68% and Apple's 20% by fiscal 2026 based on their existing positions. Amazon is a better growth stock than Apple due to its sustainable business model and strong e-commerce and AI positions.
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