Why 75% of Shoppers Turn to Amazon for Brand Discovery

Amazon.com is no longer just a place where shoppers turn to find their tried-and-true favorites in a pinch or at reduced (or free) shipping costs. According to our recent Amazon Shopping Behavior survey, the e-commerce site is now a bona fide product discovery hub.

In fact, a whopping 75 percent of shoppers say they look to Amazon for new products and brands to shop from. That’s a 25 percent jump over the previous year. What’s more? Nearly 60 percent of shoppers say they spend at least some time “window shopping” on Amazon each week — without any specific product in mind. Another 10 percent say they do it frequently.

Part of this openness to new products likely stems from Amazon shoppers' focus on price. According to our findings, 41 percent of shoppers rank price as their No. 1 factor when making a purchase on Amazon. They value a great deal more than solid product reviews, informative product descriptions and even the option of free shipping.

Here are some other interesting takeaways from our survey:

• Amazon shoppers are valuable, especially Prime members. More than half of all Amazon shoppers spend over $50 each month on the marketplace. If they’re a Prime member? They spend more than double that amount. Over the course of a year, Amazon Prime members make about 25 purchases and spend nearly $1,300 with the retailer every year.
• Electronics, beauty and clothing rule the roost. Amazon shoppers frequent the “Electronics, Computers & Office” category most, followed by “Beauty & Health” and “Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry & Watches” (with casual wear taking the cake). More than a third of shoppers say electronics is the category they buy from the most.
• Millennials like Amazon’s Prime Pantry option. Overall, the food and grocery category is unpopular on Amazon, but with millennials, the site’s Prime Pantry section is a hit. They’re particularly interested in its baby care items (hello, Subscribe & Save diapers!).
• Black Friday and Prime Day aren’t really on consumers' radars. Despite the huge deals offered on these much-publicized shopping days, most shoppers say they didn’t buy anything on Amazon on Black Friday or Prime Day. Only 22.5 percent said they bought on Amazon during Black Friday weekend, and just 18 percent said they bought on Prime Day.

It all goes back to that focus on price. Amazon shoppers use the marketplace to find year-round savings — not just once or twice a year. They’re open to trying new brands and buying new products, as long as the price is right.

What it Means for You

The bottom line is that Amazon isn’t just great for connecting with existing customers or those who already know your brand. It’s an open door to increasing brand awareness, reaching new buyers and maybe, if you do it right, even stealing some customers from your competitors — especially in your business operates in one of the high-demand product categories like health and beauty or electronics.

Just be sure to do your research, know your competitors on Amazon's marketplace, and have a pricing and marketing strategy that capitalizes on the bargain-seeking, window-shopping habits of today’s buyers.

Want more? See our Amazon Shopping Behavior Survey for more insights.

Tara Johnson is the lead content strategist at CPC Strategy, a performance marketing agency specializing in driving growth across Amazon, Google, and social media.