Nine in 10 British people shop on Amazon
New research has revealed that almost nine in 10 British people are Amazon shoppers.
According to the research by Mintel, more people have increased their shopping with the retailer than decreased it over the past year. Overall, 70% of Amazon customers shop with the retailer at least once a month, while just under a fifth use the retailer on a weekly basis.
Hardcopy media remains Amazon’s most popular purchase, followed by electricals, fashion accessories and toys. As many as 45% of households in the UK have some form of Amazon produced device, with Kindle, Fire Stick, Fire Tablet and Echo being the most popular.
Half of Amazon users assume that the retailer has the cheapest prices, while six in 10 customers say they are loyal to the company. As many as 70% of Amazon shoppers say it is the first retailer they go to when shopping online.
Nick Carroll, Mintel associate director of retail, said: “Amazon is a phenomenon of 21st Century retail. In a little over 20 years, it has grown to be a retailer that nearly all consumers use. It has achieved this through a relentless focus on customer-facing investment and innovation. Amazon started selling books, but now holds a significant share in almost all retail categories, helped by the incubation of thousands of independent sellers through its Marketplace scheme.
“The retail giant has expanded far past the bounds of normal retail operations into media streaming, consumer electronics and cloud computing. Amazon has built a platform that customers are both happy to use, and pay for the privilege of doing so via its various subscription services.”
Some four in 10 consumers have access to subscription based service Amazon Prime, with 26% personally being members and a further 13% sharing access through someone else’s account. Amazon Prime membership in the UK currently sits at around the 15 million mark.
Carroll added: “While most consumers already shop with Amazon, the retailer continues to gain market share by increasing the number of Prime members. That’s because Prime members buy significantly more, and across a broader number of categories, than non-members.
“This is why Amazon continues to add to the list of Prime-exclusive services, with Premier League matches coming in the second half of this year. Regardless of the reasons people join Prime – there is a net benefit for the retail side of the business.”
Almost half of Amazon users believe that the online retailer is responsible for physical stores closing, while 75% of Amazon shoppers say they often check the prices of products they see in-store on Amazon. As many as 70% of Amazon shoppers say they research products in physical stores but then buy online.
Some 40% of Amazon users believe the online retailer supports independent retailers, with 29% believing that shopping via Amazon Smile is a good way to give to charity.
Carroll concluded: “Amazon’s growth has no doubt wounded rivals, but it is not the ‘high street’ killer that it is often painted out to be. It has certainly led on, and to a degree enforced, many trends that have come to define 21st Century retail, however it is not all conquering at present.
“Indeed, even if the retailer accounted for roughly 50% of the online market held by online-only retailers, it would only account for around 9% of all UK retail sales. And despite the popularity of online retailing as a whole, the vast majority of all retail sales (82%) in the UK still come through physical stores. This leaves much room for its own growth but equally for rivals to fight back.”
