Market’s Value: Online Shopping Journeys See Drop In Marketplace Origins (New Report)

The role of the marketplace, while still strong in the overall online shopping journey, is losing its share position according to Attest’s 2024 U.S. Consumer Trends report.

(Source: Attest)

When looking to buy something online, 40.4% of consumers will start on a marketplace (down more than 11% from last year’s numbers), while 29.7% start with a search engine (up almost 5%).

In analyzing Attest’s numbers, EMARKETER says the drop “could be attributed to the nature of self-reported data or search ads clogging results and damaging customer experience.”

Still, marketplace’s standing at the top is “good news for retail media ad spend,” EMARKETER says, accounting for 28.8% of total U.S. search ad spend.

Attest also found that more than 70% of consumers are likely to use their mobile phones for online shopping (up more than 4%), Facebook and YouTube remain the top platforms where consumers interact with brands (with YouTube’s numbers up 5.7% from last year), and online shopping for non-food purchases has increased in popularity.

“Just over 27% of Americans show a preference for in-store shopping, with the remainder splitting their purchasing between online and offline,” the report says. “Consumers aged under 35 show the strongest preference for online shopping, with around 66% doing it habitually.”