Survey finds majority of shoppers turn first to Amazon for online buys

More than half of U.S. online consumers begin their product searches on Amazon.com’s website or mobile app, a survey found. That means that heading into the busy holiday season, the company is advancing its lead over major retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores and search engines as the starting point for online shopping.

Fifty-five percent of those surveyed go to Amazon first when searching for products, an increase from 44 percent a year earlier, according to a Labor Day weekend poll of 2,000 people released by the Internet marketing firm BloomReach Inc.

The second annual survey showed search engines, such as Google and Yahoo, and retailers losing ground to Amazon. Search engines were the starting point for 28 percent of those surveyed, declining from 34 percent a year earlier. Specific retailers were the starting point for 16 percent, down from 21 percent.

“Amazon has become the reference point for shoppers,” said Jason Seeba, head of marketing for BloomReach. “Shoppers will go to Amazon first to find a product and check prices.”

The survey results are bad news for Wal-Mart and other retailers trying to make headway against Amazon in online shopping. E-commerce sales are expected to increase 13 percent to $385 billion this year, according to eMarketer. Wal-Mart last month agreed to buy e-commerce startup Jet.com for $3.3 billion, its biggest attempt yet to catch up.

Amazon Prime, the Seattle-based company’s $99-a-year subscription that includes delivery discounts, video and music streaming and online photo storage, has been key to overshadowing competitors in the minds of consumers, said John Blackledge, an analyst at Cowen & Co. Blackledge estimates Amazon had 49 million prime members in August and subscription growth is accelerating.

Amazon has added free same-day delivery and two-hour delivery to Prime subscriptions, as well as food delivery in many cities, increasing the value of membership.