Study Reveals Amazon at ‘Center’ of Customer Shopping Journey

In Feedvisor’s latest consumer behavior survey of Amazon shoppers, the optimization platform provider said the online giant dominates product searches and is the top choice for buying a “specific product.”

The survey was designed to explore the “behaviors, motivations and needs” of Amazon shoppers. More than 2,000 U.S. consumers were polled about product searches, advertising, brand names and purchasing as well as Amazon Prime.

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“One of the report’s most compelling findings is that shopper loyalty to Amazon is at an all-time high — a large majority of consumers [89 percent] and nearly all current Prime members [96 percent] are more likely to buy products from Amazon than other e-commerce sites,” authors of the report said.

Based on the findings, the researchers described Amazon as a “go-to destination for search and purchase.” Specifically, a full two-thirds of those polled said they “typically start their search for new products on Amazon. And when shoppers are ready to buy a specific product, nearly three-fourths [74 percent] go to Amazon to do so,” authors of the report said.

“Our study confirms that Amazon is at the center of the customer’s purchasing journey, so it should be at the center of every seller and brand’s e-commerce strategy,” said Dani Nadel, president and chief operating officer of Feedvisor. “Today’s consumers actively seek brands they know, are heavily influenced by price, rarely search past the first two pages of search results, and frequently buy the first product listed. With these evolving behaviors and expectations, brands and retailers need to optimize their content, strategically advertise, and price competitively.”

Nadel said brands with a “holistic Amazon strategy,” they can “connect and engage with high-value prospects and loyal consumers.”

Prime reigns supreme on Amazon: Of the consumers who make a purchase on Amazon daily or almost every day, a large majority — 89 percent — are Prime members. Also, Prime eligibility is a significant factor for most consumers — 67 percent — when choosing to purchase a product on Amazon, and three-fourths — 75 percent — of Prime members search specifically for Prime-eligible items on Amazon.

Frequent online shoppers find Amazon ads helpful: Nearly three-quarters — 73 percent — of daily or almost daily online shoppers have clicked on an Amazon product ad while browsing the web, and 83 percent ultimately purchased the product. Three-fifths — 60 percent — of daily shoppers found those ads to be helpful. Moreover, when browsing on Amazon specifically, more than three-fourths — 76 percent — of daily Amazon shoppers have clicked on a product ad.

Although consumers are drawn to the convenience of Amazon and the breadth of its inventory, the research reveals that access to brand names is critically important — and there is room for improvement.

  • Consumers are eager for more brands to have a presence on Amazon: Of the consumers who shop on Amazon daily, all of them (100 percent) at least occasionally go to Amazon in search of products from specific brands. Less than half of consumers (41 percent) strongly agree that they are satisfied with the number of brands they know on Amazon.

  • The majority of consumers have tried products from an Amazon-owned brand: More than three-fifths of consumers (61 percent) are aware that Amazon has its own brands, and 60 percent of consumers have purchased a product from one of those brands before. Of those who are unaware or unsure of Amazon’s private label brands, 62 percent said that they would be interested in trying one of these products in the future.

Looking ahead, consumers are also open to trying many of Amazon’s newer technologies and experiences. As Amazon leverages tactics like free shipping during its annual sales events, many consumers are already planning to make a purchase during the 2019 promotions:

  • Many consumers plan to shop during Amazon’s 2019 sale events: This year, two-fifths of consumers (41 percent) are planning to make a purchase during Black Friday, followed by Cyber Monday (40 percent), and Prime Day (31 percent). Also, nearly half (48 percent) of current Prime members plan to make a purchase during this year’s Prime Day event.

  • The majority of frequent shoppers will try voice and other Amazon experiences: Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of shoppers who purchase on Amazon daily are likely to get a voice-assistant device (VAD) in the future. Similarly, 70 percent of those who make a purchase on Amazon daily or almost daily are very likely to visit an Amazon Go store in the future.

To download the full 2019 Amazon Consumer Behavior Report, please visit https://fdvsr.com/amazonconsumerreport.

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