5 ms·

Amazon did not invent customer reviews.

by kaszanka 6y ago

foobarian 6y ago
*on the web
- antoniobermuda 6y ago
  Wasn't Netflix the first?
  - vlovich123 6y ago
    Amazon started 3 years before Netflix did.
    - amelius 6y ago
      How about IMDB then?
savanaly 6y ago
Pretty sure that was meant to mean "customer reviews" the amazon product. See also in the list: "marketplace" which I don't think they expect anyone to believe they invented either.
PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
Could you point me to another merchant who offered customer-readable customer reviews before Amazon? I'm not saying there isn't one, just that when we were implementing them, I was unaware of any precedents ...
- 1_2__4 6y ago
  It was the entire (original) business model of "Epinions".
- GraffitiTim 6y ago
  My memory is there were some stores that had "customer reviews" before Amazon, but they were all screened by the company before being published. So every product would only have 5 star reviews. When Amazon came out with real reviews, it seemed crazy to many at the time -- like why would you want to share bad things about your products on your own website? I thought it was awesome.
  - PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
    OK, so now this hinges on the idea that such stores had an online e-commerce-y presence before amzn. Again, I'm not ruling it out, but I don't remember us having any real models for this. Amazon's customer review system was created as a barrier to entry for competitors, as much as anything else.
    - GraffitiTim 6y ago
      Your memory would be more credible than mine certainly! Perhaps I'm remembering my/people's reaction to first seeing reviews on Amazon.
- ajliu 6y ago
  I'm not quite sure about the timeline of which was first, but didn't ebay have heavy emphasis on seller/buyer reviews early on?
B1FF_PSUVM 6y ago
Or insanely-fast shipping either, interstate phone orders were being affordably delivered in less than 24 hours at least in the 1980s.
impalallama 6y ago
Pioneered is the key word here. The way Amazon does reviews has become something of the industry standard.

Amazon did not invent customer reviews.

foobarian 6y ago

*on the web

antoniobermuda 6y ago
Wasn't Netflix the first?
- vlovich123 6y ago
  Amazon started 3 years before Netflix did.
  - amelius 6y ago
    How about IMDB then?

savanaly 6y ago

Pretty sure that was meant to mean "customer reviews" the amazon product. See also in the list: "marketplace" which I don't think they expect anyone to believe they invented either.

PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago

Could you point me to another merchant who offered customer-readable customer reviews before Amazon? I'm not saying there isn't one, just that when we were implementing them, I was unaware of any precedents ...

1_2__4 6y ago
It was the entire (original) business model of "Epinions".
GraffitiTim 6y ago
My memory is there were some stores that had "customer reviews" before Amazon, but they were all screened by the company before being published. So every product would only have 5 star reviews. When Amazon came out with real reviews, it seemed crazy to many at the time -- like why would you want to share bad things about your products on your own website? I thought it was awesome.
- PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
  OK, so now this hinges on the idea that such stores had an online e-commerce-y presence before amzn. Again, I'm not ruling it out, but I don't remember us having any real models for this. Amazon's customer review system was created as a barrier to entry for competitors, as much as anything else.
  - GraffitiTim 6y ago
    Your memory would be more credible than mine certainly! Perhaps I'm remembering my/people's reaction to first seeing reviews on Amazon.
ajliu 6y ago
I'm not quite sure about the timeline of which was first, but didn't ebay have heavy emphasis on seller/buyer reviews early on?

B1FF_PSUVM 6y ago

Or insanely-fast shipping either, interstate phone orders were being affordably delivered in less than 24 hours at least in the 1980s.

impalallama 6y ago

Pioneered is the key word here. The way Amazon does reviews has become something of the industry standard.