The Brief, August 2021: News from Amazon and Amazon Ads

Amazon’s latest year-over-year shopping data provides a snapshot of what Americans are doing now compared to last year. The data reflects a stark shift. In 2020, customers pounced on puzzles, garden tools, cookware, headphones, exercise bikes and other products to help them stay healthy and entertained at home. But at least one pandemic trend is here to stay. Purchases of sweats, leggings and all things athleisure spiked in 2020 – and sales remain comfortably strong. After an unprecedented year, many Americans are adjusting back to normal routines. Shopping habits have shifted accordingly, reflecting how people across the U.S. are feeling, spending time and even celebrating. Amazon’s latest data also offers insights into what to expect for the rest of 2021 and beyond. See a few trends below, and find all the insight here.

Climate Pledge Friendly is a programme that makes it easy for customers to discover and shop for more sustainable products in Amazon’s store. We have partnered with trusted third-parties and created our own certification, Compact by Design, which highlights products that meet sustainability standards and help preserve the natural world. Climate Pledge Friendly continues to expand its selection of more sustainable products, and customers can now see the Climate Pledge Friendly badge on more than 75,000 products across the U.S. and Europe. Now, Amazon is adding four new certifications to help shoppers find more sustainable products across grocery, household, beauty and more: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safer Choice, EWG Verified, Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) and Animal Welfare Approved. Learn more about the new certifications here.

Amazon is pledging to hire over 100,000 U.S. veterans and military spouses by 2024, building on its commitment to military families after far exceeding its pledge to hire 25,000 by 2021. Amazon offers a variety of programmes to assist transitioning service members and military spouses in finding rewarding careers. This includes access to company-funded skills training in high-demand areas through initiatives like the Amazon Technical Apprenticeship Programme and AWS re/Start. Military members working at Amazon can also take advantage of the company’s free up-skilling opportunities, which help participants gain new technical skills and move into higher-paying, in-demand jobs. Learn more here.

In February 2021, the number of U.S. households with internet-enabled TV connected devices reached 77%, representing 4% growth from the previous year.¹ If you’re an advertiser looking to reach this growing audience in relevant and impactful ways that elevate your brand’s message, it’s important to develop a deeper understanding of this audience.

In an effort to dive deep into Connected Consumers, Amazon Ads worked with Ipsos to conduct a survey across 3,000 Americans ages 18-64, which we’ve broken out into three groups, including:

• General Consumers which represents all respondents who participated in this study.
• Connected Consumers are respondents who self-reported using a smart media device at least once per month inclusive of smarts TVs, smart speakers, smart displays and streaming devices. Almost two-thirds of Americans today (64%) qualify as Connected Consumers.
• Amazon Connected Video Consumers are a subset of Connected Consumers who watch Amazon’s ad-supported streaming TV content at least once per month inclusive of IMDb TV, Twitch, live sports on Prime Video, top-tier network and broadcast apps, and Amazon’s News app on Fire TV. 27% of Connected Consumers are Amazon Connected Video Consumers.

¹ The Nielsen Total Audience Report, March 2021.