By now, we’re all familiar with the record-setting numbers associated with shopping online on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but a closer look reveals important changes in consumer behavior in the online shopping experience that require all merchants to take note.
Most consumer searches start with Google, right?
Wrong!
According to a recent survey from e-commerce ad agency ChannelAdvisor conducted by Denada, 53% of U.S. adults said they began product searches on Amazon.
Tune in to this morning’s WJR Business Beat to hear more from Jeff:
“If you’re a merchant looking to increase sales online, you need to think beyond search now as a way to drive traffic to your site and think about having a presence on marketplace websites like Amazon.”
– Jeff Sloan
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Good morning!
Well, by now, we’re all familiar with the record-setting numbers associated with shopping online on Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, but a closer look reveals important changes in consumer behavior in the online shopping experience that require all merchants to take note.
The experience of shopping always starts with researching then searching for what it is we want to buy. We might be searching for purchase options generally, or we might have specific parameters that will ultimately drive the purchase: am I searching based on best price, maybe selection, other value-added services like free shipping and returns?
Well, as an indication of who sets the bar in online shopping these days, listen to this:
Most consumer searches start with Google, right? Unbelievably, not any longer. A majority share of consumers are now taking to marketplaces first when shopping online.
According to a recent survey from e-commerce ad agency ChannelAdvisor conducted by Denada, 53% of U.S. adults said they began product searches where? On Amazon, when planning to research and make a digital purchase significantly ahead of using search engines.
In fact, use of Amazon now eclipses use of Google based on the survey by 20 percentage points.
Here’s the full breakdown: Amazon now owns 53% of the online shopping research and purchase journey by consumers, followed by use of search engines, like Google or Bing, at 23%. Going direct to a brand or retail site, 16%, and all other marketplaces around 8%.
Look, just as is the case with all purchase conversion funnels, with awareness at the top of the funnel and purchasing at the bottom. You can’t have success at the bottom unless you have it at the top first.
And with Amazon now owning 53% of all consumers starting their purchase journeys at the top of their purchase funnel, the odds that Amazon’s bottom line will continue to grow is well, growing.
So, what does this mean to the rest of us?
Well, if you’re a merchant looking to increase sales online, you need to think beyond search now as a way to drive traffic to your site and think about having a presence on marketplace websites like Amazon.
Did I hear somebody say, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” Yep, indeed, I did.
I’m Jeff Sloan, founder and CEO of StartupNation.com, and that’s today’s Business Beat on the Great Voice of the Great Lakes, WJR.
