Inflationary pressures added billions of dollars in incremental expenses during the last few quarters, due in large part to higher fuel and shipping costs, rising wages, and supply chain disruptions. More broadly, inflation hit a 41-year high of 9.1% in June, meaning rising prices have outpaced the 2% target set by the Federal Reserve for 16 consecutive months. The right reasons to buy the stock Amazon operates the world's most popular e-commerce marketplace as measured by web traffic, and it powered more than 40% of online retail sales in the U.S. last year, according to eMarketer.