Amazon Marketplace Stats That Will Shock Every Seller (Part 2)

Welcome back, savvy sellers! Earlier this week, we painted a vibrant picture for you with our first five amazing Amazon Marketplace stats. (In case you missed it, you can find Part 1 here).

It may seem very competitive at first glance. But, with 250 million and 300 million active users and over 50 million Prime members (with that number growing super fast), the Amazon Marketplace is more than big enough for many smart sellers to find success.

One way Amazon sellers win is by using automation software to monitor competitors and handle more tedious tasks. Tools like competitive repricing software, inventory and SKU management systems, and tools that assist sellers with meeting FBA standards are some of the best ways to free up your time for other vital tasks that can’t be done by computers.

If you had time to do extra things for your customers, think of how much your Seller Rating would improve. Things like hand-writing thank-you notes and putting in time to resolve any issues will add great value to your business.

Automation also gives sellers back the time and energy to focus on learning more about potential buyers and their habits. In order to help you gain a better idea of who you’re trying to reach, we’ve made a list of Amazon user statistics that tell a story about who your potential shoppers are, how they spend, and when they’re more likely to make a (hopefully large) purchase.

Keep reading for more shocking Amazon Marketplace stats to jump-start your research and help hone your sales approach!

6. Nearly half of web shoppers go directly to Amazon for product searches.

Here’s good news for Amazon sellers: a study from BloomReach in 2015 found that 44% of online shoppers go directly to Amazon before checking any other site. That number is up from 2012 when a study by Forrester found that 30% of online shoppers bypass the entire web to visit Amazon first when doing research to make a purchase. With over $300 billion in online sales in 2015 and tremendous growth expected to continue way into the future, smart Amazon sellers can reap major rewards if they focus on making the right parts of their businesses as strong as can be.

7. During the 2015 holiday season, nearly 70% of Amazon.com customers used a mobile device to make purchases.

If you didn’t think mobile was a massive part of Amazon, you’ll likely be convinced after seeing these figures.

Nearly 70% of Amazon customers used a smartphone or another mobile device to make a purchase in 2015. And with the amount of people who use Amazon’s mobile app doubling from the previous year, sellers must be sure their product images and descriptions are optimized for mobile users so that they can maximize their share of sales to this growing group of buyers.

8. In 2015, 51% of shoppers planned to do “most” of their holiday shopping on Amazon.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey of over 3,200 adults in 2015 found that the majority planned to do “most” of their holiday shopping on Amazon. Compare that figure to the 16% who said the same thing about Wal-Mart, 3% who said the same about Target, and 2% who picked Macy’s as their primary place for presents, and you see just how dominant the Amazon Marketplace has become.

9. Amazon made more than one-third of total online sales on Black Friday in 2015.

According to Slice Intelligence, a data company that collects information from packaging receipts linked to its tracking app, Amazon dominated Black Friday in 2015. Just how much did Amazon beat up on its competitors? To the tune of collecting 35.7% of all online sales on November 27th. Best Buy came in second with 8.23% of total Black Friday sales, less than a quarter of what Amazon made.

For Amazon sellers, this is great news. But, it also warns you to have your inventory ready — and all your systems in place — well before Black Friday. Otherwise, you risk losing sales and profits during this wild day of shopping.

10. Nearly twice as many millennials use Amazon Prime compared to baby boomers.

For on-demand video, 19% of millennials rely on Amazon Prime for streaming, versus 16% of gen-X and 11% of baby-boomers. These Amazon Marketplace stats don’t tell you much about each of these groups’ likes and dislikes. But they do shed light on who Amazon sellers might want to be targeting with their Prime-eligible products.

Since nearly twice as many millennials are using Prime for video compared to baby boomers, logic says that a larger amount of younger consumers will be using Prime to make purchases than older buyers. Smart, Prime-eligible Amazon sellers should then focus on selling items that are more attractive to younger crowd.