Amazon vs Scurri: YOY Category Changes
Scurri recently shared some insights on ChannelX looking at how categories performed year on year in Q4. While the data is limited to brands using Scurri, it still gives us some useful signals around where consumers may be prioritising spend.
They reported a 35% increase in pet, a 10% increase in beauty, a 9% decline in fashion, and a modest 2% increase in food and drink. Even with the caveat around sample size, this does help paint a picture of shifting consumer behaviour.
One clear trend is how well pets continue to be treated. There is a growing focus on higher quality food, functional treats, and products tailored to specific needs or conditions. Beauty also performs well, likely helped by its giftable nature, particularly during Q4. Fashion appears to have softened in comparison, which could be linked to a few factors. Beauty gifts are often cheaper than clothing, which feels relevant in the context of the cost of living pressures. There may also be an element of consumers opting for pre loved fashion through platforms like Vinted, which could be reducing spend directly with brands.
When we compare this to Amazon in the UK, the picture looks slightly different. Looking at the last 12 months using SmartScout data, Grocery has grown by 37%, Fashion by 27%, Pet Supplies by 25%, and Beauty by 18%. This somewhat contradicts the trends seen in the Scurri data.
Part of this difference comes down to Amazon’s category maturity. Beauty and Pet are already highly developed on Amazon, whereas Grocery and Fashion are still areas where Amazon has more headroom to grow. We have also started to see Amazon’s overall traffic in the UK flatten or even decline. Despite this, the customer base remains highly engaged. As Amazon continues to expand its catalogue, growth is increasingly driven by upselling to existing customers rather than acquiring new ones, simply due to the scale and exposure Amazon already has.
