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The story of the controversial 1 click checkout and how it gave Amazon a billion dollar advantage.
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In 1998, eCommerce was still fringe.
Consumers weren& #39;t convinced and there was a lot of friction when buying online.
Jeff Bezos knew in order to succeed, Amazon had to change this.
Consumers weren& #39;t convinced and there was a lot of friction when buying online.
Jeff Bezos knew in order to succeed, Amazon had to change this.
Checking out was horrendous.
Each question had its own screen
- Name
- Last name
- Street address
- Zip code
- State
- etc...
The checkout took several minutes and Amazon noticed people were not completing their purchases.
Each question had its own screen
- Name
- Last name
- Street address
- Zip code
- State
- etc...
The checkout took several minutes and Amazon noticed people were not completing their purchases.
So Jeff set out on the goal - make ordering easy.
Amazon spent month after month on this problem.
They tried to make it easier to enter information.
They designed more intuitive layouts
But it wasn& #39;t working...
Amazon spent month after month on this problem.
They tried to make it easier to enter information.
They designed more intuitive layouts
But it wasn& #39;t working...
The team had a eureka moment.
If you save customers information, you can check them out in one click.
In 1999, Amazon filed the 1 click checkout patent.
If you save customers information, you can check them out in one click.
In 1999, Amazon filed the 1 click checkout patent.
Amazon& #39;s biggest competitor at the time copied their button.
That company was Barnes & Nobel.
Barnes & Nobel launched the "Express Lane".
Amazon fired back.
During the highest-volume season of the year, Barnes & Nobel was forced to take their site down.
The momentum shifted.
That company was Barnes & Nobel.
Barnes & Nobel launched the "Express Lane".
Amazon fired back.
During the highest-volume season of the year, Barnes & Nobel was forced to take their site down.
The momentum shifted.
Apple saw the genius in Amazon& #39;s solution.
Remember when we used to buy a song for $.99?
That& #39;s because in 2000 Apple leased the 1 click button for the Apple iTunes store for $1,000,000.
Remember when we used to buy a song for $.99?
That& #39;s because in 2000 Apple leased the 1 click button for the Apple iTunes store for $1,000,000.
Many people question whether Amazon should have had a patent.
The Free Software Foundation held a boycott on Amazon for years.
In order to have a patent, your innovation has to be non-obvious.
At the time, the 1 click checkout wasn& #39;t obvious...
Or was it?
The Free Software Foundation held a boycott on Amazon for years.
In order to have a patent, your innovation has to be non-obvious.
At the time, the 1 click checkout wasn& #39;t obvious...
Or was it?
Either way, in 2017 the patent expired.
Now, anyone can use it - and everyone does.
What& #39;s fascinates me about the legacy is this:
Now, anyone can use it - and everyone does.
What& #39;s fascinates me about the legacy is this:
What seems obvious now was not obvious then.
If you want to disrupt a market, look at industries with a lot of friction and figure out how to make them "1 click"...
- Travel
- Insurnace
- Financial
- You name it
Create "1 click" solutions that will seem obvious later.
If you want to disrupt a market, look at industries with a lot of friction and figure out how to make them "1 click"...
- Travel
- Insurnace
- Financial
- You name it
Create "1 click" solutions that will seem obvious later.
While the 1 click checkout was amazing, you can follow me in just 2 clicks.
Just click @Adam_Ha_Yes and then followhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Gesicht mit Freudentränen" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit Freudentränen">
I tweet every week about product and growth for startups.
Thanks for reading my friend!
Just click @Adam_Ha_Yes and then follow
I tweet every week about product and growth for startups.
Thanks for reading my friend!
