Google Search Down, Marketplace Search Up

Where shoppers begin their product search is changing.

Research conducted by Power Retail showed that in May 2021, 56% of consumers started their product search on Google. By July, this had dropped to 49%.

In contrast, marketplaces have experienced tremendous growth. In May, 16% of shoppers started their product search via a marketplace. Now? This has increased to 22%. eBay in particular has contributed to this marketplace growth, with 8% increasing to 13% in terms of shoppers who start directly on the eBay platform when looking for a product.

What has remained essentially unchanged is that a massive 25% of shoppers begin their product search directly on a retailer’s website. This is why brand awareness is vital. In a post-pandemic landscape where there are more shoppers online than ever before, retailer websites as the entry point for product search is a huge competitive advantage. Loyalty and retention are key.

Source: Power Retail Switched On Trajectory #23

Obviously, it’s essential to continue to monitor these search trends. How shoppers find products is central to marketing strategy, and if Google Ads are going to be impacted by a shift in consumer behaviour, budget may need to be reallocated.

Want to find out whether a drop in Google product search continues? Will marketplaces continue to rise? Power Retail Switched On members have access to these regular insights and more. Fortnightly reports draw from the aggregate, anonymised benchmarking data of over 10 million online sessions per month from a broad cross-section of Australian online retailers, plus fortnightly survey data with a minimum of 1,000 respondents in each survey.

It’s vital now more than ever before to ensure you have the latest data at your disposal. Find out more about Power Retail Switched On here.