Amazon rolls out still another way to attract customers
Amazon continues to be a tough act to follow, even for Amazon itself. Amazon this week began offering an exclusive online preview of a full scene from a yet-to-be-released movie, “The Notebook,” based on the book of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. Amazon says it’s a way to introduce book and DVD shoppers to additional artists—with the hopes that movie viewers will be intrigued enough to buy the book.
“Exclusive celebrity content is not only great fun for our customers and fans of that artist, in this case Nicholas Sparks, but also helps our customers find and discover artists with whom they may not be familiar,” a spokeswoman says.
Analysts say Amazon is taking the right approach at a time when retailers need to better inform customers and generate excitement among them. “Anything that gives the customer an opportunity to understand products a little better and get more excited about them is positive,” says Will Ander, senior partner with retail consultants McMillan/Doolittle. He adds that the ability to preview a movie clip complements Amazon’s service that lets shoppers preview sections of books before buying them.
Amazon first made the “Notebook” movie clip, along with an exclusive commentary about the book and movie by Sparks, available yesterday—more than a week before the movie’s June 25 debut. Visitors to Amazon can view the movie clip and read Sparks’ commentary whether or not they make a purchase. On the same page featuring a link to the movie preview, visitors can also purchase the soundtrack to “The Notebook” as well as the book itself and other works by Sparks.
In his exclusive commentary for Amazon, Sparks discusses how his book was adapted for film and explains why he chose a particular scene to be shown in the Amazon movie clip. “With millions of customers worldwide who are passionate about books and film, Amazon offers a unique opportunity to share one of my favorite scenes from the film and discuss the relationship between the two mediums,” Sparks said in a statement released by Amazon.
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