Amazon Tests Catalog Search Service
By Gabrielle Mosquera
Seeking to further its mission of enabling consumers to buy anything online, Internet behemoth Amazon.com in May began testing its own catalog search service.
"It's similar to our 'Look Inside the Book' feature," explains Amazon spokesperson Carrie Peters. "It's an easy way for catalogers to have exposure to Amazon's customers. The nice thing is that it's in a format that a lot of our customers are familiar with."
The search allows catalogers access to Amazon's 26 million active customer base, and offers catalogs in eight categories: scientific supplies, medical supplies, industrial supplies, car parts, home furnishings, lifestyle, pet toys, and arts and hobbies.
Amazon site visitors can search for catalog products either by selecting one of these categories or typing a keyword (e.g., lamp) into Amazon's general search box. Customers then are linked to a scanned-in catalog page that features the sought-after product.
The service currently is free for catalogers, and unlike many catalog search sites, Amazon takes no percentage of sales.
Much like it does for its own products, Amazon also includes user reviews of, and product recommendations based on, the item that was sought. However, Amazon makes it clear that customers must order directly from the cataloger, and supplies the cataloger's toll-free order number near each search result page. The service is similar to that of search engine Google, which launched its own catalog search test last December (see "Google Unveils Online Catalog Directory" in February's Catalog Success).
Lois Boyle, partner and chief creative officer at catalog consultancy J. Schmid and Associates, thinks catalogers will benefit immensely from the exposure the Amazon search service gives them—perhaps even more so in the future if catalogers can collect the names of those customers who came directly from Amazon. However, she admits she's baffled about Amazon's motivations for the project, "unless keeping people coming back to the site will boost their own sales," she says. Boyle added that she "can't imagine [Amazon] doing this as a service" because of the effort required to scan and code each catalog page, and wonders if the company intends to make the search a subscription-only program in the future.
Because it's still in beta testing, Peters wouldn't comment on upcoming plans for the search other than Amazon's hopes for expanding its product selection. Catalogers who wish to be included in the test should e-mail their request to: catalog-business@amazon.com. Or they can mail their catalogs directly to: Amazon.com Catalog Service, 1200 12th Ave. South, Suite 1200, Seattle, WA 98144.
