Amazon is the US’ e-commerce largest retailer, with estimates putting sales this year at $367.2 billion. But, what is driving shoppers to the site? Recent data from Digital Commerce 360 provides some insight into what makes Amazon so attractive to online shoppers.
One of Amazon’s most attractive features is its wide product selection and low prices, with 3 in 5 (61% of) online shoppers saying they like Amazon for that reason. The large catalog of products is likely why more than half (54%) say Amazon is the first place they turn to look for product information, while others use the website as a search engine when looking for products (45%). This supports earlier data from Wunderman Thompson that found Amazon is favored over social media and search engines for shopping inspiration.
While more than half (56% selecting within top 5 reasons) say they shop with Amazon because they get free shipping with their Prime membership, product selection appears to be the main reason people shop with the company, helping make it #1 in brand loyalty. Indeed, two-thirds of respondents say that one of the top 5 reasons they shop with Amazon is because they can find almost anything they need. Others say they shop with Amazon to quickly locate and purchase products (51% selecting within top 5) and find competitive prices (47%).
Although 1 in 3 (32% of) shoppers say nothing prevents them from buying on Amazon, others say they avoid buying from the site because they prefer to try on or touch products (33%), they would rather support local retailers (29%) and they don’t want Amazon to monopolize online shopping (24%).
Here are more highlights from the report:
- Apparel, accessories and shoes (50%), home (furnishings, decor, gardening, etc.; 50%) and health and beauty (43%) are Amazon’s most popular categories, per shoppers surveyed.
- More than one-quarter (28%) of online shoppers say they will be increasing their spending on Amazon through the rest of the year, while only 11% say they plan to decrease spending on the site.
- Two-thirds (67%) say they have read a customer review on Amazon, with more than one-third (36%) saying they have left a review.
- Even though one-quarter of consumers say they have used a voice assistant to make purchases, only 3% of Amazon shoppers say they have made a purchase with an Alexa device.
Read the full report here.
About the Data: Findings are based on a September survey of 1,096 US online shoppers, 96% of whom had purchased from Amazon or a seller on its online marketplace in the previous year.