Almost half of millennials - 44 per cent - feel guilty after Amazon purchases, the highest of any demographic, according to research from digital experience management firm Sitecore.

The research, which surveyed 2,000 consumers, found 32 per cent of consumers overall feel guilty after they have shopped on Amazon, with Generation Z being the second most guilty with 42 per cent feeling remorse.

In contrast, 82 per cent of baby boomers, said they felt “pleased I got what I wanted” after shopping on Amazon.

When the respondents were asked what could cause them to move away from Amazon, 20 per cent said low-quality products, 18 per cent said better choice from other retailers, 11 per cent said poor employment practices, and 11 per cent said a desire to support independent retailers.

Despite the above, 59 per cent of those surveyed said they were members of Amazon Prime and 46 per cent said they go to Amazon first when shopping online before checking search engine results.

In addition, the survey found 38 per cent of respondents felt the Amazon experience is more personalised than that of other retailers.

Of all the generations, Gen Z shoppers were found to be the keenest to cut back on their Amazon shopping; 33 per cent of them order from Amazon at least once a week, compared to only 13 per cent of baby boomers.

Millennials order from Amazon the most frequently according to the research, with 46 per cent stating they shop weekly and 73 per cent of the millennials surveyed subscribing to Amazon Prime.

The news comes after Amazon’s profits more than tripled in the first quarter of the year, as it reaped the benefits of increased demand for online delivery prompted by the pandemic.

When asked for comment by Retail Systems, Amazon highlighted statistics which found that from March to July 2020, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) accounted for more than 60 per cent of sales on Amazon’s stores in the UK.

The e-commerce giant said SMEs that sell on Amazon have supported 85,000 jobs, and in 2019, it spent over £2 million across Europe on logistics, tools, services, programmes, and people to help its selling partners, nearly all of which it said are SMEs.

“During the pandemic, Amazon further extended its lead in the online retailing industry because the business continues to offer a positive customer experience in terms of personalization, item availability and speed of delivery,” said Paige O’Neill, chief marketing officer, Sitecore. “However, these results show that ‘Amazon Fatigue’ could be setting in with buyers.”

“There is an opportunity here for digital retailers to expand their share of the market but it won’t be an easy win.”

She added: “They’ll need to offer comparable levels of service and personalisation throughout the customer journey to topple the retail giant’s stronghold.”

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