Amazon is Changing How it Nudges in Response to Coronavirus
Amazon’s use of behavioural nudges has changed in recent weeks — and Coronavirus explains why.
In a time of global pandemic, when many of us are stuck at home, Amazon is likely feeling a bit of a strain. In recent years, especially following the launch of their Prime service, the online retailer has done almost everything to make buying stuff faster and more convenient for customers.
Nudges have been one tool Amazon have utilised particularly well in this regard. Behavioural nudges are small changes in how a choice is framed which can have a significant influence on the decision that is made. The fact that Amazon remembers your card details might not seem like a big deal, but if you had to recall your digits at 12:03am while mindlessly scrolling Amazon’s virtual store, you may be less inclined to buy whatever splurge items found their way into your basket.
Amazon remembering card details is a convenience nudge which makes it more likely that customers will buy things. This isn’t the only nudge Amazon uses. A more famous feature on the Amazon website is the ‘Recommended for You’ section; a selection of products curated algorithmically based on a customer’s past purchases. The ‘Recommended for You’ feature has existed in one guise or…
