Latest Consumer Data Shows Marketplace Search on the Rise

Each fortnight, Power Retail surveys over 1,000 online shoppers to find out exactly how consumer behaviour is changing, and when it comes to where shoppers start their product search, we can see exactly how things are shifting over time.

In July, 12% of online shoppers headed to Amazon Australia as their first point of search. This is a noticeable month-on-month change, from 9% in June. This correlates with Amazon Prime Day in mid-July, meaning shoppers actively changed their search behaviour in line with the sales event. Year-on-year, there’s also an interesting shift, with just 6% starting their product search on Amazon Australia in July 2021, meaning consumers search doubled over this time. Awareness of Amazon generally and participation in Prime Day is evident here.

Source: Power Retail Switched On, Trajectory Report #49

In fact, more than a quarter (26%) of survey respondents said they head to a marketplace as first point of search. An equal number of shoppers headed to eBay to search for a product online, showing that while Amazon grew month-on-month (and indeed year-on-year), there was no correlated dip for eBay (with a similar percentage last month and indeed in 2021).

In January last year, 23% went directly to a retailer’s website as first point of search. This has now dropped to 17%. It may be that with economic pressures, shoppers are less likely to return to their usual retailers and may be more likely to head to a marketplace or Google to be able to price compare with ease. It also means there is an added challenge for online retailers who can’t rely as heavily on loyalty and repeat purchase behaviour and instead may need to revisit their Google ad strategy or marketplace presence.

We have not yet seen any major shift in terms of social media as a first point of search (now just 2%). While shoppers clearly use social media as inspiration for product purchases, they don’t actively head to a social media platform when searching for a particular product.

Find out more about how consumer behaviour is changing. Each fortnight we look at search, returns, intent to spend online, category of purchase and more! Download Trajectory #49, FREE to Power Retail Switched On Members.

PLUS join our fortnightly Market Update, in which we present findings from the most recently published Trajectory Reports. FREE to join (for both Switched On members and non-members), and just 15 minutes! Our next Market Update will take place on Wednesday, 10 August at 1 pm, and we’ll be taking a deep dive into Sales Events. Register here.

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