Amazon Opening a 4 Star Store in NYC

[ImaWriter]

https://blog.aboutamazon.com/shopping/amazon-4-star

Tomorrow, we’re opening Amazon 4-star, a new physical store where everything for sale is rated 4 stars and above, is a top seller, or is new and trending on Amazon.com. The store is located in one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods—SoHo—on Spring Street between Crosby and Lafayette Streets.

We created Amazon 4-star to be a place where customers can discover products they will love. Amazon 4-star’s selection is a direct reflection of our customers—what they’re buying and what they’re loving.

We started with some of the most popular categories on Amazon.com including devices, consumer electronics, kitchen, home, toys, books, and games, and chose only the products that customers have rated 4 stars and above, or are top sellers, or are new and trending.

[WasAnn]

Well, if that's not a stimulus for all those review-buyers to find out a new way to buy reviews, I don't know what.

[ImaWriter]

Well, if that's not a stimulus for all those review-buyers to find out a new way to buy reviews, I don't know what.

I was thinking about all the junk that's already rated at 4 or more stars. I hadn't given thought to how this would motivate those buying reviews. 

[idontknowyet]

I wonder if they are going to stick to trad pub bestseller books to put in their store. 

[Post-Crisis D]

The most concerning thing is that they apparently didn't have enough 5-star products to stock the shelves.

[Bill Hiatt]

The most concerning thing is that they apparently didn't have enough 5-star products to stock the shelves.

No, I think that's a recognition of the fact that, as books go up in sales volume, their review average tends to slip a little. Books people have to dig to find sometimes have higher averages than books that get thousands of sales every day. The bigger a book's audience, the more of a chance people will pick up the book because it's a bestseller rather than something they'd normally read. A lot of the books on Amazon charts are closer to four-star than five-star for that reason.

[Post-Crisis D]

No, I think that's a recognition of the fact that, as books go up in sales volume, their review average tends to slip a little. Books people have to dig to find sometimes have higher averages than books that get thousands of sales every day. The bigger a book's audience, the more of a chance people will pick up the book because it's a bestseller rather than something they'd normally read. A lot of the books on Amazon charts are closer to four-star than five-star for that reason.

My guess is that there probably won't be a lot of books in the store.  Kindles, probably, but not a wide selection of books.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Well, if that's not a stimulus for all those review-buyers to find out a new way to buy reviews, I don't know what.

Lol... I was thinking the exact same thing.  This move will crank the review shenanigans up to ludicrous speed.