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Amazon is planning to give Google a run for its money, as it barges its way into the world of paid search.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an expectation from people who visit Amazon [that] they\u2019re going to find anything they want,\u201d Seth Dallaire, VP of global ad sales at Amazon Media Group, said at AdExchanger\u2019s Industry Preview conference in New York City. \u201cIf you have the confidence that we\u2019re going to meet that expectation, you might just come to Amazon to start that search.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an intriguing move, which follows hot on the heels of the unexpected explosion in sales of Amazon\u2019s digital assistant, the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, over the Christmas period, which has opened up myriad new monetisation opportunities for the ecommerce giant. The announcement also hints at where the Amazon ecosystem is heading, which creates plenty of reasons for Google to keep watch, particularly since Amazon\u2019s Echo extends search beyond the toolbar and into AI enabled voice search.<\/p>\n
Amazon isn\u2019t acting on a whim; there is plenty of evidence to justify its gravitation towards paid search. According to a recent study by internet marketing firm BloomReach, 55% of US consumers go to Amazon first when searching for products; an increase from 44% a year earlier. Search engines were the starting point for 28% of those surveyed, declining from 34% a year earlier.\u00a0 The research went some way towards proving that Google is rapidly losing ground to Amazon, which is arguably strengthened by its 65m-strong Amazon Prime subscribers.<\/p>\n
If shoppers are bypassing Google completely, it makes sense that Amazon is keen to monetise this trend and make use of these engagement opportunities. And since most searches on Amazon aren\u2019t brand-specific, there\u2019s the opportunity for brands to pay their way to the top of product listings. Of course it\u2019s too soon to judge the impact this will have upon the overall user experience.<\/p>\n
Branded queries will also be monetised, even for products that Amazon doesn\u2019t sell, such as cars. \u201cWe don\u2019t sell cars, but we know customers have an expectation that they\u2019ll be able to consider a car or read about customer experiences on Amazon,\u201d Dallaire explains. Auto marketers will be able to create detailed product pages on Amazon that offer consumers information on make, model, specifications and other details. Amazon will then pass these leads and reviews to the auto manufacturer so they can help consumers set up test drives, etc. Based on previous purchase history, Amazon will also know the car a customer drives, and so if it sees them researching a different car brand, for example, it will be able to share that sort of intelligence with car makers too. \u201cThat might be a way for Nissan to look at a customer in a way they haven\u2019t particularly thought of with Amazon,\u201d Dallaire said.<\/p>\n
The implications for voice search<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Get exclusive insights into digital \n \n \n Stay Forward <\/h2>\n
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