Did you know that Amazon has about 48% of the US eCommerce market share? Amazon is constantly growing and launching new features every month. Here are five trends on Amazon that you should be aware of for 2021

1) Amazon Ad Spending Growth and the Implications

Amazon is 10% of all US digital ad spend (#3 player). In addition, large CPG brands are shifting spend from Facebook to Amazon. More ad spending and interest mean more competition and higher CPCs.  Brands need to create a strategy to invest in terms they have the right to win on to rank organically. Brands should monitor their strategies weekly/monthly for changes in dynamics and new competitors.

2) The Increasing Need for Brand Defense

Amazon is continually adding new ad units, video units, and modules on search results and PDPs. Brands should have a strategy in place to defend their brand, and use analytics to guide investment levels. Almost every ad unit can appear on your product pages. Brand should use those ad units in conjunction with brand posts, videos, comparison charts, virtual bundles, and the brand story module to maintain control of their product page experience

3) The Changing Face of Amazon Search Results

Ranking in the top 10 of organic results doesn’t have the impact on traffic and sales that it used to. The top of the page continues to be dominated by Sponsored Brand and Sponsored Product ads. Organic ranks #1 – #4 are typically the next row, followed by a video ad. In Row 5, we’ll often see the Amazon Choice products for related search queries. In Row 6 of results, a relatively new climate-friendly module is starting to appear. From early results, it appears that these products aren’t ranking on the first page of results, making this a big opportunity for brands. Finally, in Row 7 of search results, we find the products ranked #5 – #8 organically. Ranking #5 or lower for keywords might not deliver the same traffic and sales moving forward.

4) The Mobile Shopper

Most Amazon marketers are probably doing most of our work from desktops/laptops. So, it’s easy to test ads, perform content QA, and do competitor research on our giant screens. Increasingly, we see nuances in mobile that should be considered. In some cases, we see bullet points be truncated after 2 ½ bullets and hidden behind a “see more” button. Make sure the most important content is in the first two bullets. Movement and animation on an Amazon product detail page is rare. Sponsored Display ads have started rotating between the product image and brand logo when scrolling. Consider the logo you upload – use different lock-ups, award badges, etc.

5) Amazon’s New and Hidden Data Sets

Amazon is giving us a peek behind the curtain. New datasets provide context for advanced advertising optimization and signals what might be coming next. Category benchmarks and impression share data inform how well you stack up against your competition. Few sellers or advertisers dive into these often clunky spreadsheets, but those willing to do so are at a strong competitive advantage.To learn more about the trends that will improve your brands on Amazon, check out our webinar, “Five Amazon Trends Your Brand Needs to Know in 2021”.