Study: Not all online purchase journeys are the same
There are four main channels consumers use to initiate an online purchase, and each one results in a different experience.
Consumer engagement technology provider PowerReviews surveyed 1,034 U.S. online consumers in April 2016 to determine where they were beginning their journeys to making online purchases, and how those journeys differed. The study found that online consumers primarily launched purchases on Amazon.com (38%), search engine (35%), brand or retailer site (21%), or other e-commerce marketplace such as Jet.com, eBay or Etsy (6%).
Looking at why so many online purchases begin on Amazon, the presence of a large volume of ratings and reviews is a top factor. More than half (55%) of consumers say reviews play a big role in why they start the purchase journey on Amazon. Other top reasons include variety of products (79%) and pricing factors like free shipping (64%) and good deals (60%).
In addition to attracting consumers to the site, reviews also play a key role in keeping shoppers on Amazon to finalize their purchase. A huge 92% of shoppers who start their purchase journey on Amazon typically make their final purchase on the site, too.
More than half (52%) of consumers that start their shopping journey on a search engine said they’re likely to click on the Google Shopping Results. 41% said they’d click through to Amazon, 41% would click to a retailer site, and 27% would click to a brand site. These results are encouraging for retailers, since consumers who start on Google are just as likely to purchase on a retailer site as they are to purchase on Amazon.
As for consumers who choose to start shopping on a brand or retailer website, ease and loyalty top the list of reasons why. More than half (56%) of shoppers say they start shopping on a brand or retailer website because it’s easier to find what they’re looking for. And 48% stated that they’re a past customer, loyal to the brand or retailer.
Once shoppers are on a brand or retailer site, nearly half (45%) say they’ll turn to a search engine if there aren’t reviews (or aren’t enough reviews) for a product on a brand or retailer site. Another 25% of consumers are likely to head to Amazon to find reviews, and 20% will leave for another brand or retailer site.
This may be part of the reason why nearly half (45%) of consumers that start the purchase journey on a brand or retailer’s site will finalize their purchase elsewhere. However, the growing popularity of omnichannel shopping also appears to play a role. Of shoppers who start on a brand or retailer website but don’t make their final purchase there, nearly half (48%) prefer to make their final purchase in-store.