The battle for product search has already been decided in consumer commerce: 74% of US consumers now start their product searches on Amazon rather than Google. The question for B2B is whether this shift will replicate in business buying, where purchases are more complex, buying cycles are longer, and the stakes are higher.
Two paths to purchase
The hosts demonstrated the difference using the same search for an RAB flood light on both platforms. On Amazon, the search leads directly to an add-to-cart option with marketplace alternatives visible below. On Google, the same search produces a list of retailers with varying reviews and price ranges, requiring a second click to reach the actual purchase page.
The Amazon path is closed-loop and efficient. The Google path offers more options but requires more steps. For sellers, however, the Google path has an advantage: they control the customer experience and retain the data.
The debate format
Team Amazon included Rob Green, former general manager of Amazon Business now SVP at Insight, and Alex Graf, CEO of Spryker. Team Google featured Ted Faye, VP of e-commerce at Crescent Electric Supply, and Damon Burton, an SEO expert.
Round 1: The fight for the top of the funnel
Team Amazon argued that Amazon Business has curated millions of B2B buyers, grown to over $25 billion in revenue in just six years, and offers sellers direct access to qualified purchasers. Rob Green pushed back on the competition concern, noting that third-party sellers are outpacing Amazon’s own retail business.
Amazon Business’s 3P marketplace is growing faster than the 1P business. It is hard to fathom Amazon coming to market with private label products across a broad set of categories in the B2B space. I just do not think it is going to be financially feasible for them.
Rob Green, Insight
Team Google countered that two-thirds of B2B buyers want to start their research online before talking to suppliers. By the time they reach Amazon, they have already made the decision to purchase a specific product. Google allows sellers to reach buyers while they are still investigating solutions.
By the time they get to Amazon, they have already made a decision to purchase X. They are just comparing: do you have it, do you sell it for less, do you have more reviews, can you ship it to me. Google allows you to target whom I am trying to get to, what type of queries am I looking for.
Ted Faye, Crescent Electric Supply
The audience voted for Team Google, recognizing that the top of the funnel belongs to the platform where buyers do their research.
Round 2: Return on advertising investment
Team Amazon argued that Amazon advertising has grown to a $30 billion business with over 30% year-over-year growth. Alex Graph claimed that ROI on Amazon is much better and faster than Google, calling Google a black box where you spend money without knowing when it comes back.
Team Google countered that advertising on Google creates a multiplier effect. Ted Faye shared direct experience: when you advertise on Google, you can watch your Amazon sales increase as well. Amazon advertising benefits only the Amazon channel.
When you spend money in Google, you can actually watch your sales go up in Amazon as well. When you advertise within the Amazon walled garden, nothing happens externally. There is no network effect of what happens outside that.
Ted Faye, Crescent Electric Supply
The debate also surfaced the data ownership issue. With Google, sellers bring buyers to their own sites and retain customer data. With Amazon, the platform owns the customer relationship.
The audience again voted for Team Google, though the margin was closer.
Round 3: Search experience for B2B buyers
The final round examined which platform offers a better search experience. Damon Burton argued that Google knows far more about buyers than Amazon does, including search history, YouTube viewing, Android usage, and physical location data.
Amazon largely only knows your commerce history, but Google knows your thoughts, your beliefs, your personality, your buying intent. Often knowing you better than you know yourself.
Damon Burton, SEO Expert
Ted Faye added that B2B buyers typically maintain separate work and personal digital profiles. Amazon’s deep knowledge comes from consumer behavior: Prime Video watching, Alexa conversations, home deliveries. None of that translates to understanding what a buyer needs for their business.
Team Amazon’s Alex Graf countered that Amazon has become better at faceted search using product attributes like color, brand, and material. The statistics prove the point: 75% of product searches start on Amazon because people trust it more.
Damon Burton delivered the final blow: that 75% statistic was for B2C, not B2B. The B2B data does not exist because the behavior does not exist at that scale.
The audience voted decisively for Team Google on search experience.
The verdict: Google sweeps, but Amazon cannot be ignored
Team Google won all three rounds, but the debate surfaced nuance that the vote totals obscure. Alex Graph’s closing argument captured it well: the question is not which platform is better, but which companies are learning faster and adapting to both.
You can still use both platforms but you have to be like top 5% of the herd. You have to be really top of the game and hire the best people, use the best technology. Today Amazon is still underleveraged. There is too much competition already on Google. It is maybe a bit easier today to earn money on Amazon, but this gap might be closed by end of this year.
Alex Graf, Spryker
Practical implications for B2B leaders
Three takeaways emerged from the debate. First, it is not either-or. Amazon must be part of a B2B go-to-market strategy because buyers are purchasing there and competitive dynamics are shifting. Second, every manufacturer should have an Amazon presence, even if not the entire catalog, to stay relevant to new buyers. Third, the bar for distributor site search has been raised. If buyers are searching on Google and Amazon rather than distributor websites, it signals that internal site search is inadequate.
The hosts closed with a reminder that Google does not compete with its sellers, while Amazon’s margin-focused model creates inherent tension. For sellers prioritizing control over customer relationships and data, the Google path may be preferable even if the purchase journey requires more steps.