UK Retail Books and Music - PPC Market Share Analysis December 2025

Leveraging Adthena’s Whole Market View, this analysis explores recent trends in Google Ads for the UK Books and Music category from the last month. Our Data Analyst, Ask Arlo provides commentary on key findings.

Books and Music – UK

Google AI Overview visibility for Retail Books and Music UK

See how often AIOs appear and how search intent is distributed across buying signals.

AIO Frequency

How often a Google AI overview appears on search terms relevant to this category.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 11.2036683334
88.7963316666
11%

Complex Query Frequency

A complex query is a longer, more detailed search that often contains multiple keywords, specific conditions, or multi-part questions.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 45
55
45%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 12%
Transactional 14%
Navigational 11%
Seasonal 11%
Local 0%
Problem Solving 5%

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Market Exposure

Share of Clicks for top 10 UK Retail Books and Music brands

Here are the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Clicks for the last month.

Share of Clicks - Last month
Share of Clicks - Last month
Domain Share of clicks
amazon.co.uk 85.76
worldofbooks.com 2.52
etsy.com 1.89
hmv.com 1.15
gear4music.com 1.02
photobox.co.uk 0.56
vistaprint.co.uk 0.39
papier.com 0.39
calendarclub.co.uk 0.34
abebooks.co.uk 0.34
others 5.64
  • amazon.co.uk - 85.76%
  • worldofbooks.com - 2.52%
  • etsy.com - 1.89%
  • hmv.com - 1.15%
  • gear4music.com - 1.02%
  • photobox.co.uk - 0.56%
  • vistaprint.co.uk - 0.39%
  • papier.com - 0.39%
  • calendarclub.co.uk - 0.34%
  • abebooks.co.uk - 0.34%
  • others - 5.64%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the PPC landscape, Amazon.co.uk dominates with 85.76% click share, overshadowing others like worldofbooks.com at 2.52% and etsy.com at 1.89%. ‘Others’ collectively hold 5.64%.

Market Exposure

Share of Spend for the top 10 UK Retail Books and Music brands

Curious about your market position? Here you can see the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Spend for the last month. 

Share of Spend - Last Month
Share of Spend - Last Month
Date amazon.co.uk worldofbooks.com photobox.co.uk papier.com vistaprint.co.uk printerpix.co.uk etsy.com gear4music.com moonpig.com funkypigeon.com
2025/12/01 49.47% 4.03% 7.84% 4.77% 3.41% 1.28% 1.96% 3.08% 1.3% 1.56%
2025/12/02 43.15% 4.07% 9.62% 5.43% 3.79% 1.76% 2.47% 2.79% 1.52% 1.47%
2025/12/03 37.57% 4.96% 8.29% 5.55% 4.26% 2.44% 3.3% 3.04% 1.81% 2.94%
2025/12/04 49.02% 3.71% 5.01% 3.23% 2.45% 2.19% 3.68% 4.18% 1.3% 1.91%
2025/12/05 47.62% 4.34% 7.52% 3.66% 2.68% 1.93% 3.43% 2.86% 1.44% 1.66%
2025/12/06 53.31% 2.98% 6.96% 3.93% 2.57% 3.15% 3.07% 2.8% 1.34% 1.42%
2025/12/07 55.13% 4.02% 8.21% 3.42% 2.59% 2.38% 2.16% 2.11% 1.13% 1.95%
2025/12/08 56.74% 3.1% 6.47% 3.8% 1.86% 2.27% 2.8% 2.31% 1.18% 1.44%
2025/12/09 42.45% 4.15% 7.1% 5.55% 1.96% 4.15% 3.39% 3.11% 1.78% 1.73%
2025/12/10 46.55% 4.85% 7.16% 4.72% 2.16% 2.65% 3.15% 2.22% 1.64% 1.9%
2025/12/11 42.97% 5.06% 5.85% 4.62% 2.56% 3.45% 2.35% 3.03% 1.62% 1.4%
2025/12/12 40.82% 5.07% 7.32% 3.89% 3% 2.25% 2.91% 4.22% 1.68% 2.26%
2025/12/13 43.36% 6.73% 6.07% 4.11% 3.22% 2.59% 3.27% 3.9% 1.74% 1.08%
2025/12/14 45.28% 6.33% 4.83% 4.7% 2.41% 3.2% 3.84% 2.76% 1.46% 0.89%
2025/12/15 47.8% 4.84% 7.81% 4.29% 2.21% 2.84% 2.9% 2.74% 1.82% 0.9%
2025/12/16 41.56% 5.45% 7.68% 4.44% 2.4% 3.85% 3.11% 3.74% 2.38% 1.44%
2025/12/17 47.11% 5.96% 5.57% 2.89% 1.9% 3.76% 2.76% 3.04% 2.4% 1.66%
2025/12/18 47.37% 5.7% 4.84% 2.09% 1.87% 5.11% 2.12% 3.16% 2.35% 1.82%
2025/12/19 48.86% 6.06% 3.42% 1.49% 2.5% 4.21% 2.09% 3.03% 2.28% 2.86%
2025/12/20 42.46% 5.87% 4.44% 2.02% 2.86% 8.67% 3.26% 2.47% 2.22% 2.17%
2025/12/21 49% 6.19% 4.06% 1.67% 2.76% 7.97% 1.83% 2.38% 1.5% 1.82%
2025/12/22 53.37% 4.49% 4.18% 1.37% 1.65% 5.77% 1.76% 2.76% 1.41% 2%
2025/12/23 53.56% 3.76% 2.9% 1.57% 4.4% 3.21% 2.75% 2.45% 1.41% 1.92%
2025/12/24 51.41% 5.01% 1.44% 2.09% 6% 3.14% 1.85% 2.34% 1.21% 1.45%
2025/12/25 52.07% 5.98% 1.49% 2.45% 5.14% 2.17% 3.3% 2.01% 1.32% 2.31%
2025/12/26 59.34% 3.49% 2.83% 2.07% 3.46% 2.6% 2.11% 1.68% 0.7% 1.21%
2025/12/27 59.17% 4.09% 2.44% 1.99% 4.53% 3.29% 2.13% 2.07% 0.52% 0.82%
2025/12/28 54.86% 5.38% 3.57% 2.6% 2.69% 2.16% 2.61% 2.31% 0.9% 0.71%
2025/12/29 61.7% 3.56% 3.81% 2.46% 2.6% 1.34% 2.44% 2.7% 0.8% 0.53%
2025/12/30 59.16% 3.67% 5.52% 2.72% 2.52% 1.94% 2.5% 1.98% 0.78% 0.63%
2025/12/31 54.61% 5.22% 5.14% 2.98% 2.95% 2.34% 2.33% 2.13% 0.6% 0.59%
  • amazon.co.uk
  • worldofbooks.com
  • photobox.co.uk
  • papier.com
  • vistaprint.co.uk
  • printerpix.co.uk
  • etsy.com
  • gear4music.com
  • moonpig.com
  • funkypigeon.com

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Amazon.co.uk dominated December, peaking at 61.70% on the 29th. Worldofbooks.com saw a mid-month surge, while photobox.co.uk declined. The month ended with Amazon leading, others fluctuating.

Market Exposure

Competitor Count for UK Retail Books and Music

Ever wondered how many competitors you’re up against in your industry? Well look no further, here we can see the number of advertisers bidding over the last month. 

Competitor Count - Last month
Competitor Count - Last month
Date Competitor Count
2025/12/01 497
2025/12/02 508
2025/12/03 526
2025/12/04 525
2025/12/05 531
2025/12/06 535
2025/12/07 509
2025/12/08 499
2025/12/09 528
2025/12/10 512
2025/12/11 534
2025/12/12 524
2025/12/13 521
2025/12/14 481
2025/12/15 517
2025/12/16 517
2025/12/17 500
2025/12/18 527
2025/12/19 526
2025/12/20 530
2025/12/21 518
2025/12/22 531
2025/12/23 549
2025/12/24 557
2025/12/25 530
2025/12/26 523
2025/12/27 530
2025/12/28 508
2025/12/29 525
2025/12/30 512
2025/12/31 504

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Advertisers fluctuated throughout December, peaking at 557 on December 24. The month concluded with 504 advertisers, reflecting a dynamic landscape.

Campaign Efficiency

Market Loss & Market Gains for UK Retail Books and Music

Here we’re looking at the Top 10 biggest industry movers by market share gains and losses for the last 30 days.

Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Name Market Trend
amazon.co.uk 2.31%
calendarclub.co.uk 0.16%
argos.co.uk 0.09%
thomann.co.uk 0.08%
printerpix.co.uk 0.07%
gear4music.com -0.22%
papier.com -0.28%
photobox.co.uk -0.36%
hmv.com -0.39%
etsy.com -0.92%

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Amazon.co.uk surged with a 2.31% click share increase, while etsy.com plummeted by 0.92%. Calendarclub.co.uk gained 0.16%, contrasting hmv.com’s 0.39% drop.

Campaign Efficiency

UK Retail Books and Music Share of Impressions

Take a look at the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Impressions over the last month.

Date amazon.co.uk worldofbooks.com etsy.com gear4music.com ebay.co.uk photobox.co.uk vistaprint.co.uk papier.com axelbooks.com printerpix.co.uk
2025/12/01 71.38% 3.09% 1.62% 1.55% 0.77% 2.34% 1.48% 1.81% 1.76% 0.59%
2025/12/02 68.58% 3.04% 2.12% 1.52% 0.81% 2.68% 1.58% 2.25% 1.65% 0.79%
2025/12/03 56.24% 4.52% 3.04% 1.81% 1.03% 3.9% 2.13% 2.78% 2.19% 1.58%
2025/12/04 68.9% 3.19% 3.13% 2.07% 0.86% 1.83% 1.01% 1.34% 1.33% 1.2%
2025/12/05 67.77% 3.56% 2.98% 1.5% 0.87% 2.54% 1.3% 1.61% 1.41% 1.17%
2025/12/06 73.49% 2.44% 2.51% 1.39% 0.74% 2.2% 1.11% 1.55% 0.91% 1.43%
2025/12/07 74.7% 3.04% 1.98% 1.15% 0.57% 2.32% 1.09% 1.42% 1.1% 0.97%
2025/12/08 76.39% 2.22% 2.49% 1.09% 0.5% 1.89% 0.69% 1.66% 0.93% 0.92%
2025/12/09 64.46% 3.64% 3.31% 1.86% 1.01% 2.34% 0.81% 2.48% 1.84% 1.87%
2025/12/10 68.88% 3.65% 2.79% 1.19% 1.03% 2.23% 1.02% 1.87% 1.25% 1.31%
2025/12/11 69.31% 3.47% 1.95% 1.74% 1.08% 1.69% 1.01% 1.61% 1.58% 1.54%
2025/12/12 69.14% 3.51% 2.24% 2.09% 0.82% 2.06% 1.17% 1.44% 1.43% 1.09%
2025/12/13 62.2% 5.32% 3.3% 2.25% 1.08% 2.32% 1.55% 1.95% 1.71% 1.53%
2025/12/14 69.22% 4.28% 3.19% 1.53% 0.74% 1.39% 0.95% 1.6% 1.75% 1.51%
2025/12/15 74.06% 3.14% 2.29% 1.19% 0.72% 2.14% 0.84% 1.45% 1.22% 1.07%
2025/12/16 68.15% 3.85% 2.53% 2.01% 1.09% 2.19% 1.02% 1.56% 1.38% 1.6%
2025/12/17 70% 4% 2.33% 1.91% 0.8% 1.72% 0.85% 1.07% 1.39% 1.51%
2025/12/18 71.45% 4.09% 1.87% 1.53% 0.64% 1.24% 0.69% 0.65% 1.41% 1.8%
2025/12/19 67.67% 4.87% 1.99% 1.8% 0.93% 1.04% 1.02% 0.59% 1.59% 1.79%
2025/12/20 65.25% 4.53% 2.99% 1.42% 0.82% 1.12% 1.11% 0.68% 1.63% 3.47%
2025/12/21 70.61% 4.4% 1.64% 1.46% 0.74% 1.01% 1.08% 0.55% 1.23% 3.32%
2025/12/22 73.41% 3.08% 1.68% 1.92% 0.87% 0.86% 0.64% 0.44% 1.08% 2.16%
2025/12/23 74.24% 2.76% 2.33% 1.37% 0.97% 0.57% 1.44% 0.42% 1.14% 1.41%
2025/12/24 70.25% 3.89% 1.58% 1.56% 0.91% 0.21% 2.54% 0.64% 1.32% 1.33%
2025/12/25 73.89% 3.82% 2.79% 1.18% 1.21% 0.28% 2.13% 0.62% 0.89% 0.84%
2025/12/26 76.09% 2.72% 1.83% 0.94% 1.29% 0.83% 1.5% 0.61% 0.57% 0.89%
2025/12/27 77.8% 2.85% 1.75% 1.17% 1.06% 0.57% 1.46% 0.69% 0.6% 1.32%
2025/12/28 76.21% 3.51% 1.88% 1.37% 1.1% 0.89% 0.83% 0.93% 0.66% 0.99%
2025/12/29 77.67% 2.66% 2.08% 1.55% 1.11% 1.01% 0.8% 0.9% 0.89% 0.5%
2025/12/30 79.03% 2.42% 1.72% 1.29% 0.99% 1.33% 0.85% 0.92% 0.72% 0.77%
2025/12/31 74.22% 3.84% 1.87% 1.48% 1.4% 1.34% 1.02% 0.97% 0.87% 0.84%
  • amazon.co.uk
  • worldofbooks.com
  • etsy.com
  • gear4music.com
  • ebay.co.uk
  • photobox.co.uk
  • vistaprint.co.uk
  • papier.com
  • axelbooks.com
  • printerpix.co.uk

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Amazon.co.uk dominated December, peaking at 79.03% on the 30th. Worldofbooks.com saw fluctuations, ending at 3.84%. Etsy.com and Gear4music.com had modest shares, while Ebay.co.uk rose to 1.40% on the 31st.

Campaign Efficiency

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Retail Books and Music

Ever wondered how your rivals’ ads are doing? Here we can see the top-performing ads in the industry over the last month.

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for UK Retail Books and Music - Last month
  1. 1
    Order At Amazon.co.uk Now https://www.amazon.co.uk/

    All-In-One Online Store — Browse & Discover Thousands of products. Read Customer Reviews and Find Best Sellers

  2. 2
    Blackwell's, books for life and for learning Blackwell's https://www.blackwells.co.uk

    Trading since 1879, Blackwell of Oxford is the largest academic and specialist bookseller in the UK. Fast dispatch, carefully packaged, worldwide delivery.

  3. 3
    Etsy Official Site https://www.etsy.com › official-site

    Shop The Etsy Marketplace — Unique Goods Curated For You. Connect To Buy And Sell Products. Magical, Meaningful Items You Can't Find Anywhere Else. Local UK Sellers.

  4. 4
    hmv Online Store https://www.hmv.com

    Shop Online at hmv — 100 Years Of Delivering Entertainment Mean We Know Stellar Service. Shop Now And See How.

  5. 5
    World of Books https://www.worldofbooks.com

    Buy Quality Used Books Online — World of Books Is One Of The Largest Online Sellers Of Secondhand Books In The World. Huge...

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the bustling world of online retail, Amazon.co.uk stands out with its all-encompassing store, offering a vast array of products and customer reviews. Blackwell’s, with its rich history since 1879, caters to academic and specialist book lovers. Etsy charms with unique, locally curated items, while hmv leverages a century of entertainment expertise. World of Books champions sustainability with its vast collection of secondhand books. Each advertiser weaves a unique narrative, capturing diverse consumer interests.

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