Amazon’s traffic is way up, but others are doing even better during the pandemic
As consumers have navigated their way through stay-at-home and social distancing restrictions during the pandemic, a new study says Amazon’s web traffic has soared, but other retailers are up even more.
Traffic to the sites of some of the biggest retailers was up a lot in April versus the previous year, according to research by Activate Consulting. For Amazon.com, page views were up 50 percent, with unique site visitors up just one percent. Walmart page views were up 91 percent with unique site visitors up nine percent; Target was up 68 percent and 25 percent; Best Buy up 114 percent and 34 percent; and Costco up 221 percent and 50 percent.
The study of 1900+ adults aged 18 to 64 showed the apparel/shoes/accessories category, along with grocery, household products and beauty/personal care, were the largest categories where consumers made at least one ecommerce purchase. Thirty-six percent of those surveyed said they are likely to continue shopping online for groceries after shelter in place orders end. Grocery shoppers say they value free delivery the most, with website experience, same-day delivery and access to hard to find in-store items also important.
Activate says that over half of online shoppers have purchased from a new retailer during the pandemic and 81 percent plan to continue shopping from these new retailers after it ends. Customers who shop the most frequently and spend the most are more likely to have purchased from a new online retailer.
The study also found that, beyond health and safety concerns, pricing, experience and promotions will be the most important ways to win back core shoppers and reactivate lapsed customers to out-of-home activities. Younger consumers are forecast to return to normal routines within a month while older shoppers will take longer.