There's no denying it: Amazon (AMZN -3.92%) has not only been one of this century's most rewarding stock picks, but also one of the market's biggest-ever winners. Shares are up by more than 250,000% since their 1997 public offering, and that's counting the sizable pullback from January's peak.
There's also no denying, however, that Amazon's highest growth days are in the rearview mirror if only because comparisons to its past are now such a high bar. While it's still a solid holding, investors looking for above-average growth from here will want to look elsewhere.
Here's a rundown of three growth stocks to consider buying instead of Amazon.
Shopify
Amazon isn't just the powerhouse of the Western Hemisphere's e-commerce industry. It largely built the business, leaving its fingerprints as a result. It's certainly the name that newcomers to the market are most worried about beating, or being beaten by.
As could have been expected though, the e-commerce industry is also evolving. Brands and sellers now have access to different ways of selling online, just as consumers are willing and able to buy from platforms other than massive online shopping malls like Amazon's.
Enter Shopify (SHOP -6.68%), which is one reason manufacturers and brands can increasingly operate outside of Amazon's shopping ecosystem.
In simplest terms, Shopify makes it possible for companies to establish their own online store and sell directly to customers to do so. Its turnkey solutions range from digital shopping carts to payment processing to inventory management to marketing, and more. Some of its client companies include FragranceNet, Skullcandy, Carrier, and Daily Harvest.
Although the company itself no longer discloses the number, estimates put the worldwide number of Shopify-powered online stores somewhere in the ballpark of 5 million. The company does still report the amount of business its platform collectively drives though. Its technology facilitated the sale of $292.3 billion worth of goods and services in 2024, resulting in nearly $8.9 billion in revenue and operating income of $1.1 billion of its own. Both are well up from the prior year's comparisons, too, extending a long-standing growth streak that just a few years back many would have thought impossible to produce.
Data source: StockAnalysis.com. Chart by author.
What gives? As it turns out, although consumers certainly don't mind purchasing from Amazon, people increasingly crave authenticity while also supporting responsible businesses with compelling stories to tell. Indeed, as a recent poll performed by Upworthy and Alter Agents suggests, 76% of North American consumers specifically seek out "feel good" content from brands they may end up buying from. While Amazon.com isn't cut out to deliver any of this, Shopify's toolkit makes it possible for manufacturers and sellers to do so.
This movement is only going to expand. Analysts expect top-line growth of more than 20% every year at least through 2027.
SoFi Technologies
Shopping isn't the only industry that's been changed by the advent of the internet, of course. The internet significantly changed the banking business as well. A recent survey taken by the American Bankers Association indicates that 55% of U.S. consumers now use a mobile app as their primary means of conducting banking business. A conventional computer is the second-most preferred method, being the go-to option for 22% of banks' customers.
At the other end of the spectrum, only 11% of this nation's banking customers are interested in visiting a branch, while an even smaller 4% of this crowd wants to conduct banking business with a phone call.
Problem? Most of the online banking platforms that were launched by a brick-and-mortar establishment aren't quite resonating with increasingly tech-savvy consumers. The new preferred norm is a service that's been built from the ground up to be an online bank, such as SoFi Technologies (SOFI -10.53%).
It's got all the options you'd expect from a conventional bank, like checking accounts, credit cards, investing services, lending, and more, even including insurance. The one thing SoFi doesn't have, however, is conventional bank branches.
See, SoFi is only an online bank.
The thing is, fewer and fewer people seem to care. The bank now boasts a little more than 10.1 million customers, extending a growth streak that's been uninterrupted since 2020. Each of these customers is also utilizing a growing number of banking services or products.
Image source: SoFi Technologies year-end earnings conference call presentation.
This is still just the beginning though. The global online banking market could annually grow by 14% till 2030, according to the market research company, Straits Research. Although Europe is likely to lead this growth, it's the North American market's already significant size (which SoFi already caters to) that'll drive that growth across the pond.
Uber Technologies
Finally, add ride-hailing outfit Uber Technologies (UBER -7.57%) to your list of stocks other than Amazon to buy while you can still step into it at an attractive price. The stock's currently trading where it was about a year ago despite continued growth since then, leaving it roughly 25% below analysts' consensus price target of just over $90 per share.
NYSE: UBER
Key Data Points
It's yet another name that's thriving because of technological change. Namely, thanks to the advent of the internet -- and mobile internet connectivity in particular -- consumers can conveniently call for a ride, while highly mobile drivers can just as easily connect with a paying rider. It just wasn't a viable option 25 years ago, when hailing a cab, calling a cab company, or taking the bus was the only real third-party mobility option.
There's something else driving last year's 19% increase in Uber's total trips and revenue though... or perhaps the other way around. Whatever the case, due to a combination of rising costs and waning convenience, paired with new options, interest in car ownership is on the decline. A poll recently performed by Deloitte indicates that while only 11% of the 55-and-up crowd in the United States would consider giving up their own vehicle to use ride-hailing alternatives like Uber, 44% of the under-35 cohort would be willing to do so.
In a similar vein, a growing number of people aren't in any hurry to secure a driver's license. The Federal Highway Administration reports that the number of 19-year-olds with a license slipped from more than 87% in 1983 to less than 69% as of 2022, underscoring a bigger and growing trend for people all around that age. Again, this crowd sees little need to drive themselves using their own car when more convenient and cost-effective options are now offered.
Uber shares have been hot and cold of late, mostly due to the occasional disappointing quarterly metric or guidance. Don't be too quick to jump to conclusions though. Uber's growth has consistently been in the mid-teens -- if not better -- and will likely remain there for at least the next several years as ride-hailing continues to displace conventional car ownership.
Incidentally, most analysts see Uber stock as a strong buy, despite current investor sentiment.
