Amazon Strategies and the Amazon Shopper

Amazon Strategies and the Amazon Shopper

Amazon’s growth has been propelled by a combination of increasing retail category depth and breadth; increasing depth and breadth of its Amazon Prime loyalty program; and technology innovation executed at a scale on par with the likes of Apple and IBM. Buoyed by these drivers, the retail colossus remains on a growth curve ordinarily reserved for much smaller companies: from apparel to prepared foods, more and more major retail categories are under threat from its advances; and with its acquisition of Whole Foods, game-changing multi-channel innovation lies just around the corner.

For participants in markets affected by its growth, understanding Amazon’s value proposition and its evolving relationship with the consumer across retail categories and channels is of paramount importance.  Amazon Strategies and the Amazon Shopper provides that insight in four parts: The Amazon Landscape; Amazon Category Analysis: Grocery; Amazon Category Analysis: Pet Products and Supplies; and Amazon Category Analysis: Financial Services.

This Packaged Facts report, Amazon Strategies and the Amazon Shopper, focuses on Amazon consumer usage and engagement trends and related consumer usage and engagement strategies, as well as Amazon’s competitive positioning over time. Focusing on Amazon products and services engagement over time, analysis includes portraits of the Amazon shopper, the Amazon media user, and the Amazon Prime member; as well as Amazon's numerous strategies to broaden its reach into U.S. homes and wallets, including segmented subscriptions, penetrating and deepening retail categories, expanding Alexa’s reach, moving into social media and multi-channel initiatives. Much attention is given to Amazon Prime, its relationship to the consumer, and the ways it is leveraged to drive engagement and increase sales.

Amazon Category Analysis: Grocery

This section focuses on online grocery purchasing trends over time to assess purchase channel (i.e. online and in-store) shifts and preferences according to major retailer and retailer channel, considering Amazon’s foray into the online grocery market. Analysis is devoted to the role Amazon plays in shaping grocery trends, with attention paid to Amazon cross-usage among major food retailers over time; consumer usage of Amazon services such as Amazon Fresh, Subscribe & Save and Prime Pantry; the effect of Amazon’s Whole Foods acquisition on the marketplace (including demographic synergies across market areas); and its effect on prepared foods such as fresh meal kits.

Amazon Category Analysis: Pet Products and Supplies

This section focuses on consumer pet products purchasing trends over time to assess purchase channel (i.e. online, in-store and multi-channel) shifts and preferences according to major retailer and retailer channel. As part of this focus, this report analyses retailer loyalty over time and share of spend by purchase channel. Analysis is devoted to the role Amazon plays in shaping these trends, with attention paid to Amazon cross-usage among major pet players over time, it’s influence on online, in-store and multi-channel purchasing preferences and pet spending allocation by purchase channel. The report also analyses Amazon Subscribe & Save, Amazon Fresh, and other features and services as they relate to the company’s approach to the pet product category.

Amazon Category Analysis: Financial Services

This section focuses on Amazon financial services and payments consumer usage and engagement trends and related consumer usage and engagement strategies, as well as Amazon’s competitive positioning over time. It also assesses future opportunities and ramifications related to its current financial services and payments products as well as those in development. Much attention is paid to the Amazon loyalty and value proposition, its relationship to these financial services and payments products, and their mutual relationship to Amazon Prime.

Report Scope

Amazon Strategies and the Amazon Shopper features demographic analysis that includes 1) household income segmentation of $150K-$249K and $250K+; and 2) geographical analysis by top fourteen designated market area, designated market area by segment, metropolitan area by segment, and county size. Analysis also includes:

• Analysis of the Amazon products and services ecosystem
• The influence of Amazon Prime membership on user engagement
• Total retail and e-commerce sales projected through 2020
• Consumer online shopping preferences
• Online and mobile purchasing trends
• Online and in-store purchasing trends by retail category
• Historical trending of major retailer usage and Amazon user share
• Demographic analysis of Amazon programs and services
• e-Commerce sales and food & beverage e-commerce sales projected through 2020
• Amazon food & beverage e-commerce sales projected through 2020
• Historical trending of food retailer usage and Amazon user share
• Demographic analysis of Amazon food-centric programs
• The role rewards and loyalty play in Amazon’s credit card and ACH debit programs
• Amazon-branded credit card purchase value market size and forecast through 2020
• Consumer interest in possible Amazon financial services products
• Analysis of Amazon’s non-credit card financial services and products, including small business lending, B2B e-commerce, social messaging, online checkout, in-store and multi-channel payments and voice commerce.
• The influence of Amazon credit card possession on Amazon user payment method preferences
• A comparison of online shoppers at five major retailers (Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club and Target) regarding 1) checking account, savings account and card usage and 2) online payment preferences.
• Consumer online and mobile checkout preferences
• The implications of the Whole Foods acquisition on Amazon’s financial services and payments strategy