Amazon WindowShop

PostAmazon WindowShop by **bear** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 2:01 pm

http://www.trustedreviews.com/software/news/2008/10/28/Amazon-Revolutionises-Online-Shopping-Interface/p1

Online retailers are forever trying to think up ways to tempt us into heading over to their stores and parting with increasing amounts of cash and in this ever more nasty credit crunch/global financial oblivion/Christmas run-up their motivation has never been stronger. So could this be the best attempt yet...?
Leaping into the future by returning to the past (it'll become clear, trust me) Amazon has today unveiled 'WindowShop' a remarkably impressive Flash based 3D err, window shopping-esque experience, which allows users to scroll around new music, bestselling video games, movies, TV shows, new books and audiobooks, the highest ranked material ever on Amazon and staff recommended content in categories such as 'Music Artists We Think You Should Hear'.
On the surface of course it all sounds rather gimmicky and to an extent it is. On the other hand the execution is flawless with near instant loading times, fast streaming of audio and video as you browse and silky smooth scrolling that would put iTunes Cover Flow to shame. Perhaps even more importantly, I found the process engrossing and certainly spent more time browsing than I should expected compared to clicking on each link, loading each page and streaming content as I would on a traditional online store.
In true Last FM/Pandora style, WindowShop will even happily scroll about in the background playing clips from the latest content if you let it and that alone has just seen me become rather excited about the Shins' latest album 'Wincing the Night Away' (2007) - which I didn't even realise was out... the shame!
Naturally the UI has its limitations and WindowShop won't help you find specific content - there isn't even a search engine - but for those looking to explore the latest and most recommended content it offers a surprisingly immersive experience.

Could this be the start of a revolution in the online shopping experience? Maybe, maybe not - but for a first beta Amazon WindowShop is a remarkable step in the right direction...

So as anyone tried using it? My keyboards batteries are dead (using the on screen keyboard) so I haven't been able to yet. Looks good though.

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Dowbocop** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 2:05 pm

Just having played for 30 seconds now it seems really hard to use compared to the tried and trusted Amazon site. A gimmick I think, it's a lot more useful to search using words than it is to scan through pictures...

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Johnny Ryall** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 2:08 pm

It's nauseating.

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Peter Crisp** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 2:51 pm

So I look at a web page for inspirations for completely random things to buy? This seems completely pointless if you ask me but then again I don't window shop at real shops so I'm likely not the target audience.

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Ironhide** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 2:59 pm

After 10 seconds I can confidently say It's utter arse.

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Turok** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 3:02 pm

"This site has no audio"

...except for the audio sample that automatically plays for every product. Sheesh.

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Mockmaster** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 3:05 pm

Every time I look at it on my monitor, my circuits sizzle.

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Pilch** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 7:44 pm

Is there a way of signing into your Amazon account so that it gives you tailored recommendations? It seems pretty cool and all, but the stuff it's showing at the moment is pretty irrelevant to me, whereas I've actually discovered quite a lot of new music based on Amazon's recommendations.

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **JiggerJay** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:59 pm

meh i prefer the old fashioned way... stop changing things!

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Pilch** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 9:17 pm

Turok wrote:"This site has no audio"

...except for the audio sample that automatically plays for every product. Sheesh.

It actually says, "This site has sound," silly Billy!

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Exxy** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 9:20 pm

It's a bit pointless.

PostRe: Amazon WindowShop by **Turok** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 9:23 pm

Pilch wrote:
Turok wrote:"This site has no audio"

...except for the audio sample that automatically plays for every product. Sheesh.

It actually says, "This site has sound," silly Billy!

*TANANANANANANANAN* CAN'T HEAR YOU *TANANANANANANA*

:oops:

Amazon WindowShop

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