Search engines are taking an increasing proportion of product searches in the US, according to research by Survata. 36% of product searches were done on search engines last year, up from 28% in 2016. Meanwhile, the ecommerce giant Amazon saw its grip on product searches loosen, with figures falling from 55% in 2016 to 49% in 2017. A major factor tipping the scales from Amazon towards search engines seems to be the rise of mobile commerce. 19% of online sales were done on mobile in 2016, with this rising to 23% in 2017. It is projected to account for almost half of all ecommerce by 2021. Mobile shoppers prefer to search for products using search engines, rather than specific retailers' apps such as Amazon. With the increasing importance of search engines in product searches, businesses selling online would be wise to list their products on search engine shopping services.
