61% of UK shoppers will have found gift ideas from online retailer Amazon this Christmas, with 50% getting ideas from searching on Google, according to new research by Searchmetrics.
The research findings highlight how the battle to be the number one in shopping search is intensifying.
The survey, which polled 1,000 UK adults about their online shopping preferences, also revealed that 23% of people are turning to Facebook friends, company pages, ads and promotions for Christmas gift ideas.
30% of women will go to social media to research gifts this Christmas, a contrast to the 17% of men who will do the same.
"Our research demonstrates how shopping related search is evolving and especially the intense competition between traditional search engines such as Google and retail marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay," said Marcus Tober, CTO and founder of Searchmetrics.
"Google recognises the threat to its business from the likes of Amazon, which is why it changed its Google Shopping service to compete more directly with Amazon."
"Retailers now pay to have their product images, prices and descriptions show up in search results pages on Google. So shoppers receive instant, comparative product information from a variety of retailers on Google ? which competes directly with the information available from sellers you see on Amazon."
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The survey also found that 32% of consumers find Christmas shopping less stressful by buying online. Over a quarter (28%) prefers to use the web to avoid in-store queues and crowds.
"For retailers the advice from the research is that they should use a variety of methods to promote their products at Christmas ? and also throughout the year."
"They should be trying to increase their visibility in Google searches, as well as building a strong presence on social networks such as Facebook. And even if they are not present on marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay, they need to be checking these sites to see what their competitors are doing," said Tober.
