Helping Brands Understand the New Competitive Realities on Amazon

Today, Momentum Commerce is launching a comprehensive series of monthly category reports, starting with Beauty & Personal Care and expanding to cover Home & Kitchen, Health & Household, and other top categories by sales volume. Each report will deliver:

• Search term analyses that reveal up-to-date consumer behavior insights
• Two years of longitudinal data revealing actual category leadership trends
• Real-world examples of how brands are winning (or losing) market share

Why This Matters Now

 The disconnect between perceived and actual competition on Amazon is costing brands millions in lost opportunities. Executive teams trained in traditional retail often struggle to grasp a fundamental truth: on Amazon, your competitors aren’t just the familiar brands positioned beside you on traditional retail shelves. Today, the competitive set is determined by Amazon’s search results page—a far more fluid and unpredictable battlefield.

This series aims to help brands at all levels:

• Understand why traditional competitive assumptions don’t hold on Amazon
• Identify true threats and opportunities in your category
• Make more informed strategic investments
• Track competitive dynamics as they develop
• Visualize the full scope of your competitive set
• Learn from successful competitor strategies
• Spot emerging trends before they become threats
• Make more data-driven decisions around advertising budgets

Each month, we’ll dive deep into key categories, using the comprehensive data housed in Velocity by Momentum Commerce to illuminate competitive dynamics and give you the full competitive picture needed to win.

Follow along as we uncover who’s really winning on Amazon, and more importantly, why. Reach out to us with any questions or requests for more detailed analysis at hello@momentumcommerce.com 

Report #1: Skin Care

The beauty and personal care category—Amazon’s fastest-growing major segment—offers a perfect case study in how traditional competitive dynamics are being upended. Our inaugural report focuses on the skincare subcategory, where established multinationals, social media phenoms, and aggressive challengers are locked in an increasingly sophisticated battle for market share.

Key Findings at a Glance:

• Category Growth: 21% YoY increase in Amazon US skincare sales (2024)
• Market Leadership: Multiple brands claimed the #1 position throughout 2024
• Competitive Dynamics: distinct approaches to winning market share emerged
• Search Trends: Significant shifts in how consumers discover and evaluate products

What You’ll Learn:

• How social media success translates to Amazon success (or doesn’t)
• Why traditional market leaders are simultaneously more secure and more vulnerable than they appear
• Which tactical approaches are working in today’s marketplace
• Where the greatest opportunities lie for brands of different sizes and capabilities

Report #2: Vacuums & Floor Care

Categories where growth is tight or contracting can still provide avenues for brands to thrive. Our second report examines the vacuums and floor care subcategory, and how some brands have captured significant market share and increased revenue.

Key Findings at a Glance:

• Category Decline: -2% YoY decrease in Amazon US vacuums and floor care sales (2024)
• Market Leadership: Meaningful consolidation at the top of the category
• Competitive Dynamics: Advertising support around key sale events was critical
• Search Trends: Consumers finding products primarily by feature-focused searches

What You’ll Learn:

• Why high traffic sale events are particularly important in this category
• How market share leaders are orienting their approach around these events
• Which features are driving the highest rates of search interest
• Where brands should place their focus in terms of advertising and promotional strategies

Report #3: Kitchen Utensils & Gadgets

In categories with volatile competitive dynamics and seasonal buying patterns, when you win matters. Our third report analyzes the kitchen utensils & gadgets subcategory, including an examination of how select brands broke through during key moments to capture market share.

Key Findings at a Glance:

• Category Steadiness: -0.1% YoY decrease in Amazon US kitchen utensils & gadget sales (2024)
• Market Volatility: Multiple brands captured the #1 market share position over the past 12 months
• Seasonal Execution: Social media blended with advertising and discounts helped win the holiday season
• Search Trends: Functionality-focused, non-branded searches are overwhelmingly popular

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the holiday season is critical in this category
• How brands are structuring their promotional efforts around the holidays to maximize market share gains
• Which types of searches drive in-market consumer interest
• Where social media and other top-of-funnel tactics play a role

Report #4: Men’s Active Clothing

Maintaining market leadership in a growing, highly competitive category is a tremendous challenge. Our fourth report analyzes the men’s active clothing subcategory, with key insights around how top brands have held leading positions despite smaller players capturing progressively more market share.

Key Findings at a Glance:

• Category Growth: +2.3% YoY increase in Amazon US men’s active clothing sales (L12M)
• Leadership Stability: The top 4 brands largely held top market share positions consistently over the past 12 months
• Seasonal Importance: December revenues vastly outpaced all other months by a significant margin
• Search Trends: Product type searches reign supreme, but branded search rates remain high

What You’ll Learn:

• Why seasonal execution is critical in this category
• How branded search plays a significant role when it comes to consumer buying behavior
• Which strategies and tactics are being employed by top brands
• Where discounting has had the most impact

Report #5: Kitchen Sinks

When category revenues are highly concentrated around a single month, successful brands need comprehensive plans to succeed. Our fifth report studies the Kitchen Sinks subcategory, with key insights touching on effective adjustments to account for Spring seasonality.

Key Findings at a Glance:

• Category Growth: +4.1% YoY increase in Amazon US kitchen sink sales (L12M)
• Market Dominance: Just three different brands have ranked #1 in Amazon US market share and only six different brands ranked in the top 5
• Seasonality: April sales accounted for 12.2% of annual revenues in the category
• Search Trends: A large plurality of searches are captured by just a few top unbranded search terms

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the spring season is absolutely critical in the kitchen sink category
• How brands have adjusted tactics to account for a longer buying cycle
• Which search terms are driving the most volume consistently
• Where pricing is driving the greatest impact