Despite the way it seems, Amazon doesn’t sell everything. To fix this, the company is beta-testing a new shopping feature that will include products it doesn’t sell in search results on its app, and then send you to the brand’s website to purchase them.
Amazon’s app will start listing items Amazon doesn’t sell
The products will show in the shopping app’s search results, but you’ll be redirected to the brand’s site to buy them.
The products will show in the shopping app’s search results, but you’ll be redirected to the brand’s site to buy them.
Image: Alex Castro / The Verge
is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.
In a blog post published this week, Amazon announced that this new “Shop brand sites directly” feature is currently in beta testing on its shopping app. “When customers who have access to the beta search for a brand and/or item, we’ll show relevant products found in Amazon’s store as well as select products we don’t carry that are available directly on another brand’s website,” said the company. Clicking on the product will redirect you to the brand’s website (with a popup alert that you’re leaving Amazon) where you can buy the product directly.
It’s not clear if Amazon will get a cut of that purchase, and the company hasn’t shared which brands are participating in the beta. However, if the brand uses the Buy With Prime option Amazon launched a couple of years ago, you can use your Prime benefits — such as free shipping — at the external store.
Amazon VP Rajiv Mehta said the new feature is designed to expand selection and “make shopping even more convenient for customers.” The option to shop directly from a brand’s site is currently only available to some U.S. customers in the Amazon Shopping app on iOS and Android. Amazon says it plans to expand the feature to more users and incorporate more brands based on feedback from the beta test.
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