Shopping doesn’t start, or end, at the checkout anymore. Research from Amazon Ads shows how entertainment, technology and culture are shaping purchase decisions long before intent is fully formed.
Amazon Ads’ latest global research with Strat7 Crowd.DNA | Beyond the Buy
For decades, marketing has treated shopping as a moment. A deliberate act. Something consumers go and do. But research from Amazon Ads suggests those boundaries no longer hold. Shopping has become ambient – woven into entertainment, creators and the everyday moments where influence quietly builds.
Its latest global study, Beyond the Buy, conducted with Strat7 Crowd.DNA, reveals just how constant this mindset has become. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of UK consumers think about shopping multiple times a week, while 62% say they consider purchases even when they don’t need to buy anything.
Yet while consumer behavior has evolved, many marketing models haven’t kept pace. Two in three global advertisers still view the journey from awareness to purchase as linear, even as real-world behavior becomes increasingly fluid.
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One of the clearest signals from the research is the growing role of entertainment. Almost half of UK respondents (48%) already see entertainment as part of their shopping journey, and more than half (52%) say they’ve discovered brands while watching, listening to or streaming content they love – across categories from over-the-counter medicines to finance and telecoms.
As Emma McAndrews, head of growth, UK and DE at Amazon Ads, puts it: “We know that when people are immersed in their favorite content, they’re not just passively watching: they’re actively thinking about purchases. In fact, 69% of UK shoppers say they’ve taken consideration actions while enjoying entertainment.”
It helps explain why 47% of UK consumers say they view brands more positively when they appear in their favorite content – and why social media, TV shows and movies top the list of entertainment environments where consumers want to see more interactive ads.
And now, with agentic AI representing the next evolution in advertising technology, there’s an opportunity for brands to better understand which moments drive action – and how attention turns into outcomes – through unified buying, AI-powered optimization and closed-loop measurement.
With 90% of UK consumers already using at least one modern shopping technology – from tailored recommendations to interactive ads and AI shopping tools – the direction of travel is clear: shopping is everywhere now.
For a deeper dive into the research and to understand the new rules of engagement for success beyond the buy, check out our immersive article with Amazon Ads here.