Amazon reported record profits on Thursday, as cloud computing sales picked up steam and its retail business showed resilience.

Sales from July through September hit $158.9 billion, up 11 percent from the same period a year earlier. Profit rose 55 percent, to $15.3 billion. The results surpassed Wall Street’s expectations.

Amazon’s cloud computing business is continuing to gain steam, driven partly by its artificial intelligence offerings. Amazon Web Services sales grew 19 percent, to $27.5 billion. It accounted for 60 percent of the company’s operating profit.

Profit in the e-commerce giant’s core retail business has faced pressure as consumers shift their spending to lower-cost products and everyday consumable items, like shampoo or dog food, which tend to be less profitable.

Amazon had warned investors last quarter that consumer behavior was particularly tricky to predict in the election season, as a volatile political climate can distract consumers from shopping. Sales in its North America e-commerce business grew 9 percent in the quarter. It produced $5.7 billion in operating profit.

“As we get into the holiday season, we’re excited about what we have in store for customers,” Andy Jassy, Amazon’s chief executive, said in a statement.