As the dust settles on another record-breaking holiday shopping season, with the National Retail Federation reporting 197 million U.S. shoppers between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, e-commerce sellers face new challenges in an increasingly fragmented marketplace. Amazon's newly introduced Brand Metrics (Beta) offers sellers a powerful tool to analyze consumer behavior across different purchase journey stages.
Understanding Brand Metrics: The Foundation of Consumer Behavior Analysis
The Brand Metrics tool helps sellers measure opportunities and evaluate the value of various shopping interactions across three key purchase stages:
- Awareness Stage: When consumers first discover a brand
- Consideration Stage: When shoppers actively evaluate products
- Purchase Stage: After consumers complete transactions
Sellers can leverage this data through a three-step process:
- Identify key metrics for each stage
- Assess current brand performance
- Develop targeted optimization strategies
The Consideration Stage: Precision Marketing Opportunities
During peak shopping periods, most consumers reach the consideration and purchase stages. Brand Metrics provides crucial insights into three key interaction types:
- Product detail page views only
- Brand searches combined with product views
- Cart additions
1. Product Detail Page Views: Building Brand Awareness
Consumers who view product pages without further engagement show initial interest. Sellers can compare their metrics against category benchmarks to evaluate performance.
For underperforming brands, recommended strategies include:
- Custom image brand ads in search results
- Brand Store enhancements with product stories
- Display ads targeting interest-based audiences
2. Brand Searches with Product Views: Accelerating Decisions
Shoppers who search for brands and view products demonstrate stronger purchase intent. Sellers should implement conversion-focused tactics:
- Brand video ads with expanded bidding
- Optimized Brand Stores highlighting bestsellers
- Experimental ad formats to increase visibility
3. Cart Additions: Closing the Sale
Cart additions represent the strongest conversion opportunities. Improvement strategies include:
- Retargeting display ads for abandoned carts
- Enhanced product pages with premium visuals
- Live shopping events to drive engagement
The Purchase Stage: Cultivating Brand Loyalty
Post-purchase metrics help sellers identify two critical consumer segments:
- Top 10% spenders and subscription customers
- All other brand purchasers
1. High-Value Customers: Retention Strategies
For premium customers, focus on:
- Enhanced Brand Stores with easy reorder features
- Brand storytelling through posts and live streams
- Personalized shopping experiences
2. General Customers: Expansion Opportunities
To grow the broader customer base:
- Implement cross-selling strategies
- Develop consistent brand messaging
- Optimize for repeat purchases
Amazon's Brand Metrics provides e-commerce sellers with unprecedented visibility into consumer behavior across the entire purchase journey. By leveraging these insights, brands can develop targeted strategies to improve performance during critical shopping periods and beyond.