Answer: 22%

Questions:

• If you just looked at the searches that teens did on Amazon, what percentage do you think would include a brand name? 
• What product searches do you think consumers would look for a specific brand rather than just a generic search like "running shoes?"
• Do you ever buy store brand products (e.g., Kirkland, CVS, Sam's Club, Amazon)? Why or why not?

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom

Behind the numbers (from Marketplace Pulse):

More than three-quarters of Amazon searches are unbranded, seeking for generic products rather than name brands. According to Marketplace Pulse research, 78% of keyword searches done on Amazon are for generic goods. That means consumers are searching for “running shoes women” or “tennis shoes for men” rather than asking, specifically, for Nike, Adidas, or Puma.

For further reading (from WSJ on 9/16/19): 

Amazon.com Inc. has adjusted its product-search system to more prominently feature listings that are more profitable for the company, said people who worked on the project—a move, contested internally, that could favor Amazon's own brands.

Late last year, these people said, Amazon optimized the secret algorithm that ranks listings so that instead of showing customers mainly the most-relevant and best-selling listings when they search—as it had for more than a decade—the site also gives a boost to items that are more profitable for the company.

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About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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