Online marketplaces dominate almost every stage of the UK purchase journey, from discovery and comparison through to purchase, reviews and even returns, according to recent research from Akeneo.
For high-value purchases over £90, UK shoppers lean more heavily on marketplaces than any other digital or physical touchpoint. For instance, 24 per cent most regularly use marketplaces for search and discovery. 26 per cent use them for price and promotions comparisons and 28 per cent use them to compare or validate products, both top-ranked channels.
In addition, 26 per cent use them most often to leave reviews, while 21 per cent turn to marketplaces for advice from other users, more than social media.
When it comes to purchase, 30 per cent most regularly use marketplaces to buy the product – ahead of stores and retailer sites while 21 per cent use marketplaces to initiate returns, second only to other routes (22 per cent).
Across the whole journey, 30 per cent of UK consumers say they most often buy from online marketplaces, while just 6 per cent most often buy from a brand’s own website.
“This peak season has confirmed what our research already shows; for UK shoppers, marketplaces are the default shop window, comparison engine, review hub and checkout,” said Romain Fouache, CEO at Akeneo. “If your product information and brand story do not show up clearly and consistently on marketplaces, you are invisible for a big share of high-value purchases. And in a world where AI agents and LLMs will increasingly replace search in guiding shoppers to the right products, being invisible on marketplaces means you may not exist at all for these new discovery engines.”
This dominance by marketplaces is underpinned by shoppers’ perception of content quality. Over half of UK consumers (52 per cent) rate the quality of product information on marketplaces as very good, higher than retailer websites (40 per cent) and outlet or discount stores (39 per cent).
“For big ticket purchases, marketplaces are where shoppers go to stress test their decisions,” added Fouache. “They’re comparing alternatives, checking specs and dimensions, weighing up delivery promises and reading real user feedback. If your marketplace presence is weak, inconsistent or incomplete, you’re effectively handing those customers to competitors.”
The survey contains one sting for retailers; peak revenue suffers due to a persistent product information gap across channels. 63 per cent of UK consumers have abandoned a significant purchase in the last 12 months because information was missing or inaccurate. 70 per cent would switch to a different product than they originally intended due to a lack of product information, while 68 per cent would stop buying from a brand after a bad product information experience.
Although 66 per cent of UK shoppers say the information they received for their last significant purchase was comprehensive or fairly comprehensive, a sizeable 14 per cent say it isn’t.
“Peak can never be won on discounts alone but on confidence,” continued Fouache. “That confidence is built on rich, accurate, channel-specific product content based on clear pricing and promotions, precise size and fit, transparent delivery timelines and authentic social proof. Brands that simply copy and paste product data to marketplaces will lose out to those who actively curate and optimise it for each platform.”
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