Amazon sent me an email today announcing their new Widgets product. Who hasn't used their classic link builder to try and make a few bucks from the web. They don't intend to replace that, but widgets improve on the idea greatly.
These are simple and designed in the en vogue web 2.0 style. They've included six bits: Slideshow, My Favorites, Quick Linker, Wish List, Product Cloud, and Amazon Unbox Video Previewer. My favorites are the last two, but each one is cleverly designed. Examine the "Product Cloud":
For reasons unbeknownst to me, I find this one fascinating. The cloud shows products that are relevant to the content of the page. A slick idea. Widgets like these are beginning to touch on new ways of monetizing the web.
Of course you can find anything you need or want on Amazon. But unlike a retail store, the experience is very mechanical. When you know what you want, you find it and buy it. It's a simple search action. It's like shopping for groceries, you need an item and know that you need it.
Anyone whose significant other is into handbags will tell you, however, that part of the joy of shopping is finding things you didn't realize you need. This is actually an underrated phenomenon. Every time I browse the electronics aisles at Target I find all manner of gadgets I would love to try. Prior to bumping into them in a store, I had no idea they even existed or that I might need it.
For businesses, this kind of serendipity is even more rare. Outside of trade shows and product catalogs, the frequency of random encounters with new products seems much lower than consumers. The Internet can help solve this problem.
To anyone predicting the extinction of brick-and-mortar shopping, I don't see it. Not until better, more diverse shopping services sprout up. Even then, the physical limitations of computers and what I call the "mechanical malaise" they exhibit will prevent retail from disappearing. Amazon proves to be a smart company though. Experimenting with these kinds of services will make online shopping a better experience.
Sure you can buy what you want. But who will tell you what you want?