Why Amazon
/ Sources & Methodology
Last reviewed: July 2026
Sources & Methodology
The statistics in our "Why Amazon?" section are drawn from third-party market research, analyst estimates, and publicly available data. Amazon does not publish official figures for most of these metrics, so figures are best available estimates. Reporting periods, sample sizes, and methodologies vary between sources. We review these figures periodically and update them when newer data becomes available.
61% of product searches start on Amazon
61% of US consumers begin their product search on Amazon rather than a search engine (eMarketer, 2022). More recent UK-specific research from Forrester's Consumer Pulse Survey (October 2025) puts the UK figure at 56% of product discovery searches. In both markets, Amazon — not Google — is the leading starting point for product search.
9 in 10 UK online shoppers use Amazon
91% of UK online shoppers use Amazon, according to Mintel's UK Online Retailing Market Report (2025).
Sources:
30%+ of all UK ecommerce
Amazon holds an estimated 30% of the UK ecommerce market (ECDB, as reported by InternetRetailing). The UK is the world's third-largest ecommerce market, valued at approximately $317bn in 2026 (Mordor Intelligence).
18M UK Prime members
An estimated 18 million people in the UK hold Amazon Prime memberships (Q1 2026), making the UK Amazon's second-largest Prime market after the US. Amazon stopped publishing official membership figures in 2021, so this is an analyst estimate based on survey data and regional penetration analysis.
Beyond the UK
Amazon operates dedicated marketplaces across Europe, including five major markets beyond the UK: Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. Germany is Amazon's largest market outside the US, with net sales of $45.9bn in 2025 (Amazon annual results, via Statista).
Sources:
A note on how we use these figures
We cite these statistics to illustrate the scale of Amazon's role in UK retail, not as audited market data. Where sources conflict, we use the more conservative or more recent figure. If you believe a figure is outdated or inaccurate, please contact us.
