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What would be better? I would have rather seen a third party come out with these little buttons, with an open API such that they could be connected to things li
by dkrich 12y ago
What would be better?
I would have rather seen a third party come out with these little buttons, with an open API such that they could be connected to things like:
- Todo/grocery list apps that adds the item as a reminder the next time I run to the store
This is exactly what I was thinking. I think the core idea is actually pretty good- a seamless way to remember to get stuff you need at the time you realize you need it. One of the major pain points for shoppers is keeping track of all the crap you need at the time you are at the store. If you could continuously add to the list and then the grocery stores had some kind of integration with their loyalty program so it knew when you had purchased what was on your list and automatically removed it, that would be a huge time-saver. Even if it just synced to a todo list, that would be really nice.
However, there are two things that I think would prevent this from becoming a game-changer for Amazon. First, most shoppers are extraordinarily price-sensitive when it comes to household goods. Wal-Mart is a $270 billion company precisely because of this. Most people like to comparison shop based largely on price. If the concept of price is completely hidden from view until after the purchase is made, you are trading transparency for ease-of-use. There is certainly a market for this, but not the largest share of it.
Second, as long as there are other things that shoppers have to get at the grocery (namely, groceries), I believe that most will opt to wait until they go next time since they have to go anyway. This product doesn't solve the problem of instant-gratification and having the product at the time you need it, it just makes it a little easier to order it when you need it.
- zaroth 12y ago> Most people like to comparison shop based largely on price. Amazon, and many others, are betting this is increasingly less true, and not only that, but price discrimination is the most important profit maximizing method in the world. These are price discrimination buttons.
- dkrich 12y agoI don't think you can really make that claim considering that Walmart has been profitable since its beginnings and Amazon hasn't been profitable in about ten years. What makes you think that now is the time for a change in consumer behavior that has shown itself not to exist to this point in time?