Mobile showrooming is alive and well – and Amazon, Google and eBay are the key places shoppers go while standing in a store to check out what they are about to buy.
According to research by marketing technology company, Kenshoo, 72% of consumers in the USA, Germany, UK and France now visit Amazon when they want to research products online before making a purchase and over a quarter (26%) of Amazon users admit to checking for alternatives, background information and prices on the site when they come up on a potential purchase in a physical store – on a mobile.
85% of those polled in the survey said they visit Google to research purchases, followed by Amazon (72%), with eBay third (38%) and individual retailer websites (36%).
Over half (56%) of Amazon users questioned as part of the study say it is the first site they visit for researching purchases. Even if they find something that seems suitable on another site, 51% reveal they will usually check Amazon to find alternative ideas, compare prices or gather more information before making a purchase. 46% Amazon users use the site to research holiday season / Christmas gifts.
With over 300m active account holders worldwide, the findings underline why Amazon is one of the primary destinations that brands are turning to in the emerging area of E-Commerce Marketing. The big advantage of marketing and advertising to consumers through the e-commerce channel via sites such as Amazon is that people who visit them are typically highly engaged and already have a strong intent to make a purchase.
The sheer breadth of products that Amazon carries gives it more power to attract advertising. In the study the six most popular areas for product research on Amazon were Electronics and Computers (73%), Books (58%), Music, Movies and Games (56%), Home Appliances (55%), Fashion and Clothing (49%) and Health and Beauty (45%).
The release of the study ‘Amazon: The Big E-Commerce Marketing Opportunity for Brands’ coincides with Kenshoo announcing the general availability of Kenshoo E-Commerce Marketing. This new offering lets brands use the Kenshoo advertising platform to manage product focused ad campaigns on Amazon alongside their search and social advertising. Using cross-channel insights across social, search and now e-commerce, advertisers are able to better connect with consumers from discovery to point of purchase – saving time, driving engagement and increasing return on ad spend.
