How Connected Consumers shop and what you need to know

August 17, 2021 | By: Kat Vasilopoulos, Sr. Product Marketing Manager

This year, Amazon Ads conducted a study with Ipsos that surveyed 3,000 Americans ages 18-64 to learn about the ways that consumers are streaming, how they interact with brands, and what they expect the future of brand interactions to look like. Viewers today are reshaping the way we watch TV, and we’re committed to helping you understand the impact and opportunities resulting from these trends.

Through an extensive research study, we’re delivering a view of the current and future state of streaming TV with Connected Consumers. In the first post, we dove deep to answer: Who are Connected Consumers? In this post—the second of our four-part series—we’ll unpack how Connected Consumers shop and why advertisers should take note.

When we talk about “streaming TV,” we’re referring to long-form video content that is delivered over the Internet to a streaming service or device, bypassing traditional cable, which we call “linear TV.” With streaming TV, also known as over-the-top (OTT), viewing typically takes places on the TV screen. The ads that play within this streaming content are Streaming TV ads.

Defining Connected Consumers

Throughout these posts, we reference three primary groups:

  • General Consumers refer to all respondents who participated in our study.
  • Connected Consumers are respondents who self-reported that they use a smart media device at least once per month. For the purposes of this study, “smart media devices” include smart TVs, smart speakers, smart displays, and streaming devices.
  • Amazon Connected Video Customers are a subset of Connected Consumers who reported watching Amazon’s ad-supported streaming TV content at least once per month. This includes content across IMDb TV, Twitch, live sports on Prime Video, and broadcast apps and Amazon’s News app on Fire TV.

Connected Consumers are moving and shaking

We learned in the first part of our series that the majority of Connected Consumers and Amazon Connected Video Customers have considerable purchasing power with a higher average annual take-home income than General Consumers.

Connected Consumers and Amazon Connected Video Customers also indicated they’re more likely to make some big moves in the next 12 months than General Consumers—which means it’s a great opportunity for you, as a brand, to help them as they navigate these new exciting milestones.

Lifestyle and milestones

Within the next 12 months, Connected Consumers plan to travel (47%), start a new job (19%), move (17%), and buy a new home (12%). Amazon Connected Video Customers are ready to do all of that to an even greater degree—they uniquely show an entrepreneurial spirit, with 15% planning to start a business in the next 12 months.1

Advertiser tip: For advertisers, this presents an opportunity to align your brand to these defining milestone moments using our Life Events audiences. With Life Event audiences, you can drive brand awareness and consideration for your brand around life moments like “Traveling soon” as audiences prepare to go on vacation.

Shopping with Connected Consumers

Connected Consumers and Amazon Connected Video Customers are also avid shoppers, especially when compared to General Consumers. When they shop, they care about fast delivery and free shipping. They’re socially conscious and want to support small businesses. They also view shopping as a social activity and a fun pastime. This is especially true among Amazon Connected Video Customers, who over-index significantly on the social aspect of shopping.

Shopper attitudes

When asked about shopping, Amazon Connected Video Customers displayed the highest propensity to
prefer fast delivery (42%), free shipping (32%), and supporting small businesses (38%). They were also the most likely to consider shopping a social activity (30%) and a favorite pastime (33%).2

In our research we found that just about half (49%) of Connected Consumers and 69% of Amazon Connected Video Customers reported that they bought something from an online retailer within the last week.

Online Shopping

49% of Connected Consumers bought from an online retailer within the last week. 69% of Amazon Connected Video Consumers bought from an online retailer within the last week. 3

General Consumers, Connected Consumers, and Amazon Connected Video Customers use Amazon at some point in their shopping journey. 40% of the Connected Consumers audience said they had purchased on Amazon.com in the last seven days. That number is unsurprisingly higher with Amazon Connected Video Customers, with 60% saying they had completed an Amazon purchase within the last seven days.

Amazon.com shopping

40% of Connected Consumers bought from Amazon.com in the last week. 60% of Amazon Connected Video Consumers bought from Amazon.com in the last week.4

Advertiser tip: Try activating Amazon’s audience segments, like in-market, lifestyle, and interest. In-market audiences help you to reach an audience who is “in the aisle” for your category but hasn’t quite bought yet. You can also use lifestyle audience segments to reach audiences based on shopping and viewing signals, including shopping on Amazon, browsing on IMDb, and streaming on Prime Video or Twitch. Or, lastly, try using interest-based audiences to help raise brand awareness among prospective buyers based on what they frequently have browsed or bought. We found that Streaming TV advertisers who reached audiences based on these behavioral audience signals saw a 44% increase in consideration compared to those who used just demographics to reach audiences.5

Three important things to know about Connected Consumers

  1. Based on our survey, the Connected Consumer audience is ready to make big moves this year, from buying a home to even starting a business. They’re ready to invest in life-changing decisions. As a brand, you can align yourself to these milestones.
  2. Connected Consumers also value their shopping experiences. Shopping is a fun, social pastime, and Connected Consumers rely on quick and free delivery. Amazon Ads can help your brand reach these shopping audiences.
  3. In particular, 60% of Amazon Connected Video Customers surveyed reported that they bought something from Amazon in the last 7 days.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of our Connected Consumers blog series, where we’ll dive into how Connected Consumers stream and use devices.

Can’t wait to learn more? Check out our free report (available in English only): Diving deep with Connected Consumers: How to reach, engage, and delight the streaming viewers of today.

Sources

1 Amazon Connected Consumers study, July 2021
2 Amazon Connected Consumers study, July 2021
3 Amazon Connected Consumers study, July 2021
4 Amazon Connected Consumers study, July 2021
5 Amazon internal data, 2020