ClickZ-亚马逊时代B2C（英文）-2017.10-40页-4mb

Summary of The Age of Amazon: Maximizing the B2C Marketing Opportunity

Core Content

This report, published by ClickZ Intelligence in partnership with Catalyst, explores the growing influence of Amazon in B2C marketing, focusing on how brands can leverage Amazon's digital platforms and services to enhance their marketing and sales performance. The research is based on a survey of over 250 North America-based B2C marketers and 1,600 U.S. consumers, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges in integrating Amazon into marketing strategies.

Main Points

Amazon's Growing Influence

• Amazon has become a dominant force in the U.S. retail landscape, surpassing Google as the top destination for online shoppers.
• It is now a key player in both search and product discovery, with a significant presence in the customer journey.
• Amazon's media and marketing services are fast-growing, even though they represent a smaller part of its overall business.

Marketers' Awareness and Strategy

• 63% of marketers plan to increase their Amazon advertising budget in the next 12 months, compared to 54% for Google and 53% for Facebook.
• Only 17% of marketers say their companies have a clearly defined strategy for Amazon Marketing Services (AMS).
• 15% of marketers believe they are using AMS to its full potential.
• Many marketers are unaware of the opportunity, with 32% of non-Amazon advertisers not even aware of the platform's marketing potential.

Consumer Behavior and Ecommerce Impact

• Ecommerce sites, especially Amazon, significantly influence consumer buying decisions.
• The halo effect of Amazon on offline sales varies by category, with some categories like facial moisturizer showing a 18% influence on offline sales, despite only 2% of sales being made online.
• In the pet care category, 26% of consumers typically buy online, which is higher than any other category.
• Grocery is the least likely category for online purchases, but Amazon's expansion into this area (via Amazon Fresh and Amazon Prime Pantry) is expected to change this.

Amazon as a Media and Marketing Channel

• Amazon's media services are growing rapidly, with an estimated $3.5 billion in ad revenue in 2017, projected to rise to $5.7 billion in 2018.
• Amazon's media services include Amazon Advertising Platform (AAP) and Amazon Marketing Services (AMS), which offer a variety of ad formats and tools.
• Sponsored Products is the most commonly used component of AMS among brands that advertise on Amazon.

Strategic Recommendations

The report outlines 12 key recommendations to optimize Amazon strategies, including:

• Developing a clear Amazon strategy
• Balancing upper and lower-funnel marketing activities
• Structuring internal teams and agencies for maximum success
• Giving ownership to marketers and specialist digital agencies
• Being agile and flexible in approach
• Assimilating data and optimizing measurement and attribution
• Mining user-generated content
• Training internal teams
• Seeking out the best agencies
• Focusing on "shoppability"
• Developing Alexa Skills and presence
• Preparing for Amazon Fresh and Amazon Prime Pantry

Key Information

• Amazon's customer journey role: Amazon is becoming a central part of the customer journey, with brands reorganizing to integrate it more effectively.
• Integration of digital and offline: Brands are recognizing the importance of digital visibility in driving offline sales, leading to closer collaboration between direct-response and brand marketers.
• Ecommerce's impact: Ecommerce, especially through Amazon, is influencing a wide range of categories, with some seeing up to 20% of sales driven by online channels.
• Data importance: Amazon provides a wealth of behavioral data, including search terms, conversion rates, and purchase history, which brands are using to shape both marketing and product development.
• Amazon as a media platform: Despite being a retail giant, Amazon is increasingly seen as a media platform, with its ad revenue growing at a faster rate than Google and Facebook.
• Challenges and opportunities: While many brands are still underutilizing Amazon's potential, the report emphasizes the need for a more integrated and strategic approach to maximize returns.

Conclusion

The report underscores that Amazon is no longer just an e-commerce platform but a critical marketing channel with vast opportunities for brands to enhance awareness, engagement, and sales. With the right strategy, integration, and use of data, brands can capitalize on Amazon's growing influence and reach in the evolving digital retail landscape.