Podean, in partnership with Jungle Scout, launches The Marketplace Index™ 2026, Benchmarking 3,500+ Global Amazon Brands

Now in its fourth year, the annual benchmark scores 3,500+ brands across six global markets and adds AI Readiness as a new fifth scoring pillar.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Podean, a global marketplace partner, announced the launch of The Marketplace Index™ 2026, the company's annual benchmark of Amazon brand performance in partnership with Jungle Scout, the industry-leading Amazon data platform.

Now in its fourth year, the report scores more than 3,500 brands across the most competitive categories in six key global markets - Australia, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, the UK and the US - giving brands a clear, data-backed view of how they stack up and where the opportunity to grow is greatest.

New for 2026, the report introduces AI Readiness as a fifth scoring pillar, joining Retail, Content, Customer, and Media, reflecting the growing role AI-driven shopping assistants and discovery tools play in how customers find and buy on Amazon.

"Brands have no shortage of data, but understanding what strong performance actually looks like is much harder," said Travis Johnson, CEO of Podean. "The Marketplace Index™ turns millions of performance signals into meaningful benchmarks that show brands where they stand, who is setting the pace, and where the biggest opportunities remain."

"The Marketplace Index gives brands a clearer view of how the marketplace is evolving and where new opportunities are emerging," said Jay Lovelace, CEO of Jungle Scout. "We're proud to partner with Podean and contribute Jungle Scout's Amazon marketplace data to the report, adding the category, brand, product, and keyword-level detail brands need to know exactly where to compete and invest."

Podean and Jungle Scout have partnered for five years, with 2026 marking their second collaboration on The Marketplace Index™. Jungle Scout supplies the underlying Amazon data that powers the report's scoring model, while the two companies work closely throughout the report's creation to ensure the data and insights are as accurate and complete as possible.

The Story Behind the Data
The Marketplace Index™ 2026 makes the case that winning on Amazon today requires a full-funnel, multi-market strategy that includes media, content, and increasingly, AI readiness.
- Category Leadership. The Marketplace Index™ reveals which brands are leading their categories on Amazon and the strategies they use to build and sustain a competitive advantage.
- Competitive Insights. The report shows how brands compare against category peers, market competitors, and the leading brands across the broader Amazon ecosystem.
- Performance Blueprint. The Marketplace Index™ provides clear benchmarks brands can use to measure performance, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and guide strategic improvements.
- Year-Over-Year Progression. The report tracks how brand performance has evolved over the past three years, highlighting where meaningful gains or declines have occurred.
- Global Comparisons. The Marketplace Index™ shows how brands in each market stack up against peers across other Amazon marketplaces, identifying where performance standards differ globally and where growth opportunities exist beyond a brand's home market.

Key Findings (United Kingdom)
- UK brands have hit a plateau. The average UK brand scored 72% for the second year running, a big jump from 61% in 2023 but no further progress this year.
- Beauty is the benchmark for everyone else. Hair Care, Skin Care and Makeup took the top three segment positions in the market, a clean sweep for Beauty, with Health & Personal Care close behind. Electronics and Fashion scored near the bottom. Electronics listings look polished but say too little in the descriptions and titles, which is a concern since this is what most shoppers will review before purchase.
- e.l.f., Color Wow, Baylis & Harding, Philips, Pantene, Oral-B, Bosch and CeraVe led the market in scoring averages this year. While some of these brands ranked high last year, other top performers from last year dropped in the rankings.
- Brands are investing heavily in their product pages. Content was the biggest driver of progress this year, with improved titles, descriptions, visual content, and brand storefronts.

"The competition on Amazon in the UK is fiercer than ever, so understanding what your peers are getting right - and where they're falling short - is critical,” said Jonathan Hawkins, Managing Director UK at Podean. “The Marketplace Index uses millions of data points across dozens of categories to build an unrivalled picture of Amazon performance, from media and content quality to AI readiness. It should be an essential part of the planning toolkit for any business that's serious about winning on Amazon."

The Marketplace Index is Now Available
The Marketplace Index™ 2026 is available starting Oct. 6 at podean.com/intelligence, with localized versions for each of the six markets covered in the report. Brand-specific reports may be available on request by contacting Raphiel Bacar at raphiel@podean.com.

About Podean
Founded in 2019, Podean is the world's largest independent global marketplace partner and the industry's most awarded, with over 12 Amazon Partner Award titles. With more than 450 marketplace professionals across 20 countries and five continents, Podean delivers end-to-end management services across strategy, content, retail media, advertising, social commerce, analytics, and technology. The firm supports 500+ brands across 110+ marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Instacart, TikTok Shop, and Mercado Libre, managing more than $600M in media and driving $5B+ in combined client sales. For more information, visit www.podean.com.

About Jungle Scout
Jungle Scout delivers Amazon insights on demand. Built on more than 11 years of proprietary data and visibility into 40,000+ live seller integrations and 600M tracked products, it gives brands the clearest view of what's happening across categories, competitors, pricing, search, market share, and advertising. Its MCP and AI tools turn that data conversational, turning signals into decisions wherever teams work. Learn more at junglescout.com.

Travis Johnson
Podean
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