47% of shoppers now start product discovery on marketplaces, surpassing search engines. 63% prefer marketplaces for convenience and variety, per ChannelEngine's survey.
Online marketplaces are now the go-to starting point for 47% of shoppers when searching for products. This is a major shift, as only 24% of consumers start their search on engines like Google, according to a ChannelEngine survey conducted in October 2024. The survey covered 4,500 shoppers across the US, UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Jorrit Steinz, CEO of ChannelEngine, remarked, âMarketplaces have surpassed brand websites and search engines as the primary destination for product discovery.â This highlights the growing importance of marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and niche platforms such as Etsy.
Brands must adopt a multichannel strategy as consumer preferences continue to shift. The survey found that 63% of respondents prefer buying from marketplaces rather than brand websites. This trend is driven by the convenience, variety, and pricing offered by platforms like Temu and Shein for budget shoppers, or Zalando for fashion enthusiasts. Limiting sales to a single channel can result in missed opportunities, as today's consumers are browsing across multiple platforms to find the best deals.
Marketplaces are seeing the most significant growth in categories like home goods, clothing, and beauty. For instance, 74% of consumers prefer buying home products via marketplaces. Meanwhile, categories like jewelry and appliances still perform well offline. Retailers in the home goods sector who havenât embraced marketplace platforms are losing ground. These findings underscore the importance of aligning inventory with where shoppers prefer to buy.
Consumers are browsing 2-3 marketplaces on average before making a purchase. For clothing, the average rises to 2.9 marketplaces. Only 20% of shoppers stick to a single marketplace, while most explore multiple platforms to compare prices and reviews. This behavior demonstrates the importance of having products listed on more than one marketplace to capture these highly engaged buyers. Shoppers also expect variety, and brands need to optimize their offerings for diverse platforms to stay competitive.
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