Prime Day has become an increasingly important retail event in the UK, as much for consumers as it is for Amazon’s publicity and profits.
Last year, the delayed Prime Day in October resulted in record breaking sales and marked the unofficial start to the Christmas shopping period, but it recent years Amazon is not the only one that has reaped the benefits of the sales extravaganza. More widely, brands and retailers have started to offer sales and heavy discounts of their own during the same time period, attracting shoppers who are already scrolling and spending online. The opportunity has become ripe for companies not named Amazon.
In fact, just half of consumers said they’re planning to shop specifically from Amazon this Prime Day according to our recent research, with almost a quarter (24%) of consumers planning to shop at a combination of different retailers. Many are electing to decide how much they spend once they see what’s on offer, and almost a quarter leaving their decision to the day of purchase. Consumers are looking to spend their money, but they’re not precious about where or how much – it’s all about finding the right product and the best deal. Brands and retailers need to ensure that their price points, advertising, marketing, and user-generated content (UGC) are all focused and ready to attract and convert customers while they’re in the mood to shop.
UGC in particular gives customers access to other people like them, which enhances trust in brands and product and is especially important during a sale that will be mostly, if not exclusively, online. The vast majority of our recent survey respondents do trust reviews on Amazon. Of those who do not, 30% said that they will look at reviews on other sites before likely purchasing on Amazon. If shoppers are going to use alternative brand or retailer websites as a research tool, those companies need to do everything they can to convince shoppers to remain there. Collecting and displaying high-quality, authentic UGC is one of the best ways to do so, and will provide potential customers with information that is the next best thing to trying a product out for themselves in-store.
