When UK consumers plan to spend more than 90 euros online, they rarely start with a brand website or a physical store. They go straight to online marketplaces.

New research from Akeneo shows that marketplaces lead high-value purchase decisions in the United Kingdom, outperforming both retail stores and standalone ecommerce sites. For sellers, this confirms a simple reality: if your product is not strong on marketplaces, it is not part of the conversation.

The survey questioned 1,800 consumers across eight countries. In the UK, the results align closely with earlier ChannelEngine data showing that most online shoppers begin their product search on marketplaces rather than on brand webshops.

Marketplaces Shape the Entire Decision Process

Marketplaces in the UK no longer serve just one role. They guide shoppers from discovery through to the final decision.

Around 30 percent of UK consumers use marketplaces when buying higher-priced items, placing platforms like Amazon and eBay ahead of both physical retail and direct-to-consumer websites.

Why Shoppers Trust Marketplaces More

One clear reason marketplaces dominate is the quality of product information. More than half of UK consumers rate marketplace product data as very good, well ahead of retailer websites and discount stores.

Shoppers rely on marketplaces to compare options, check prices, read reviews, and confirm delivery expectations before committing to a purchase.

Poor Product Data Drives Customers Away

UK shoppers show little patience for missing or incorrect details. Nearly two thirds abandoned a purchase in the past year because product information was unclear or wrong.

Many went further, switching to another product or abandoning the brand altogether.

What This Means for Cross-Border Sellers

For brands selling into the UK, marketplaces function as primary storefronts, not secondary channels. Product data must be accurate, complete, and adapted to local expectations.

As AI-driven discovery increasingly relies on marketplace data, visibility and consistency on these platforms directly determine who gets seen and who gets sold.

Source: ecommercenews.eu