Amazon.com 'Primed' for a profitable 2015?

Amazon’s Prime membership seemed to be the golden ticket to stronger sales for the e-commerce giant in the fourth quarter.

The Seattle company reported that fourth-quarter profit declined less than expected and sales surged 15%. Amazon reported net income of $214 million, or 45 cents a share, down from $239 million, or 51 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters were expecting a profit of 17 cents a share. Sales rose to $29.33 billion. Adjusting for the impact of currency exchange rates, sales rose 18%. Amazon had projected $27.3 billion to $30.3 billion. Operating expenses rose to $28.7 billion from $25.1 billion.

The company said Amazon Prime, its annual membership program, saw its worldwide paid membership grow 53% last year: 50% in the United States and at a slightly faster rate internationally.

"When we raised the price of Prime membership last year, we were confident that customers would continue to find it the best bargain in the history of shopping. The data is in and customers agree — on a base of tens of millions, worldwide paid membership grew 53 percent last year — 50 percent in the U.S. and even a bit faster outside the U.S.," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com.

Amazon has been aggressively pumping up the Prime program, adding content to its streaming services and a series of products available only to members who pay the $99 annual fee.Late last year, Amazon said more than 10 million customers used Prime unlimited shipping service for the first time during the holiday season.

The company has also rolled out a one-hour bike messenger delivery service in Manhattan. On Wednesday, Amazon said it would launch an email and electronic calendar service, venturing into a crowded field that pits it against the likes of Microsoft Corp. and Google Inc.