Amazon already knows what you like to read, watch and buy. Now, thanks to a new feature on its website, it may find out even more about you.
Directly below its main banner ad, new homepage text reads: “Amazon wonders…” followed by a seemingly random question. This week, when several GeekWire employees visited the site and signed in as customers, the question was, “Is time travel possible?”
When I answered “no,” the results of what turned out to be a poll were revealed: 60 percent had said “yes,” 40 percent had responded “no.”
Along with the results that were revealed, a few items were recommended to me, including the books So You Created a Wormhole and Donnie Darko. It also recommended the DVD Interstellar. A co-worker’s response led to a different selection of goods, including the movie Back to the Future, and a Casio calculator watch (as worn by Marty McFly in the same movie).
Other customers have started to notice the feature, surmising that the questions are all about making better recommendations based on their most inner thoughts and feelings.
Is this “Amazon wonders…” thing new? As if Amazon doesn't know enough about me from my shopping habits already. pic.twitter.com/DuxLiJS7Ex
— Luke Andrews (@attaboy) April 13, 2015
Other questions have been less philosophical, such as, “Which summer blockbuster are you most looking forward to?” But many are abstract, including, “Are you a lover or a fighter?”
Amazon wonders… brilliant! #loverorfighter pic.twitter.com/RrGips87ka
— Zach Zygar (@zZygar) April 17, 2015
So, now I wonder … Will the questions be a hit among customers, or a small test that disappears in the night?