Online marketplaces now dominate UK high-value shopping

Online marketplaces now dominate almost every stage of UK shoppers' purchase journeys for higher-value items, new research from Akeneo indicates.

The study focuses on consumers who have spent at least £90 on a single purchase in the past year. It tracks how these shoppers search, compare, buy and return products across digital and physical channels.

For purchases over £90, marketplaces rank as the most used channel at several key steps. Shoppers use them for discovery, comparison, reviews and returns more than any other individual touchpoint.

Across the full journey, 30% of UK consumers say they most often buy from online marketplaces. Only 6% say they most often buy from a brand's own website.

Discovery shift

The research shows a marked shift at the discovery stage. For high-ticket purchases, 24% of UK shoppers most regularly use marketplaces for search and discovery. This makes marketplaces the top-ranked search channel in the study.

Marketplaces also lead for price checks and promotion comparisons. In this area, 26% of respondents say they most often use marketplaces when weighing up offers.

When shoppers compare or validate products, 28% say they most regularly turn to marketplaces. This puts marketplaces ahead of both retailer sites and physical stores at this evaluation step.

Romain Fouache, CEO at Akeneo, said marketplaces now sit at the centre of how many UK shoppers shop online. "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, 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."

Reviews and advice

The study points to strong use of marketplaces for reviews and peer advice. 26% of UK consumers use marketplaces most often when leaving reviews. 21% say they turn to marketplaces for advice from other users.

This reliance on peer input is higher than for social media. It suggests marketplaces now function as a primary review and recommendation layer for expensive purchases.

Marketplaces also feature heavily at the point of sale. 30% of respondents say they most regularly use marketplaces to buy products. This share is higher than for physical stores and retailer websites in the research.

Returns behaviour shows a similar pattern. 21% of UK shoppers say they use marketplaces to initiate returns. This is marginally behind other unspecified routes at 22%, but still places marketplaces as a significant path for post-purchase activity.

Content quality gap

The study links marketplace dominance to shopper perceptions of product information. Over half of UK consumers, 52%, rate the quality of product information on marketplaces as very good.

Retailer websites trail that score. 40% of shoppers rate the information on retailer sites as very good. Outlet or discount stores score 39% on the same measure.

Akeneo connects these views to behaviour around big-ticket decisions. "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 research highlights a wider product information gap across channels. 63% of UK consumers say they have abandoned a significant purchase in the last 12 months because information was missing or inaccurate.

70% say they would switch to a different product than they originally intended when product information is lacking. 68% say they would stop buying from a brand after a bad product information experience.

Despite this, most respondents felt reasonably well served on their last major buy. 66% of UK shoppers say the information they received for their last significant purchase was comprehensive or fairly comprehensive. 14% say it was not comprehensive.

Pressure on brands

Fouache links peak-season performance with the depth and accuracy of product data.

"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."

Akeneo positions its PX Insights monitoring tool as a way for brands to connect customer behaviour and sentiment with product data. The company says this creates feedback loops into its Product Information Management system.

The research covers 1,800 consumers aged 18 and over, drawn from eight countries. It focuses on those who have made at least one purchase of £90 or more within the past year.

Akeneo says it plans further analysis on how product experience influences loyalty and conversion across marketplaces.