Amazon might be a retailer, but a recent survey suggests that it also functions as some users’ primary search engine. Among 2000 respondents, 44 percent indicated that when they began a product search, they started on Amazon, rather than on traditional search engines such as Google or on specific retailers’ own websites. Just a year ago, a similar survey indicated that 39 percent of customers started with Amazon, indicating that the online retailer’s dominance is continuing to grow. In this view, its success in the retail channel derives mainly from its success in the search channel: If a shopper starts the purchase process with a search on Amazon, he or she is highly likely to remain with Amazon through the final steps of the process, namely, making the purchase and even reviewing it thereafter. Furthermore, when asked why they chose Amazon, most of these respondents noted that the retailer offered great personalization. When they enter a search term, Amazon knows how to suggest related and pertinent products that help them make good purchase decisions. For competitors, the lesson might be that improved personalization represents the best option for stemming the continuing flow of customers to Amazon.

Source: Taylor Soper, Geek Wire, October 6, 2015