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Writer's Haven => Marketing Loft [Public] => Topic started by: Demon_Lord on September 29, 2018, 08:51:23 AM

Title: Amazon marketing paid tool named Amazon Scout
Post by: Demon_Lord on September 29, 2018, 08:51:23 AM

I'm editing this thread to add that Amazon Scout is not new, it's two years old, but I've never heard of it before.

I received a newsletter about what it looks to me as new marketing tool, named Amazon Scout (yes, I thought about the defunct Kindle Scout, but there is no relation).

Basically, it's a paid service that would provide informational data about Amazon to its users. I suppose it can be used for learning about Amazon before making a choice on how to promote our books.

More information about it check these links:


https://blog.amzscout.net/ (https://blog.amzscout.net/)


https://amzscout.net/ (https://amzscout.net/)

What do you guys think of it? Will be useful to authors?

Title: Re: Amazon marketing paid tool named Amazon Scout
Post by: WasAnn on September 29, 2018, 12:21:56 PM

I just looked at it, and maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think Amazon is behind it. It looks like any of the book tracking apps that used to be out there, but got shut down when the ability to crawl got shut down. I wonder how they keep crawling when all the book ones got axed?

Am I wrong? Is this Amazon selling data?

Title: Re: Amazon marketing paid tool named Amazon Scout
Post by: Demon_Lord on September 29, 2018, 12:39:11 PM

Quote from: WasAnn on September 29, 2018, 12:21:56 PM

I just looked at it, and maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think Amazon is behind it. It looks like any of the book tracking apps that used to be out there, but got shut down when the ability to crawl got shut down. I wonder how they keep crawling when all the book ones got axed?

Am I wrong? Is this Amazon selling data?

It's weird to say the least. It's like they are indeed selling data that they would have never thought to share before. And at the same time, it is so ambitious, I mean too many options and promises of success.

I don't know what to think. On the other hand, imagine if half of what they say is true. The people who could pay, and even the scammers, will get a huge advantage over the ones who couldn't pay their fees. 

Title: Re: Amazon marketing paid tool named Amazon Scout
Post by: Rinelle on September 29, 2018, 02:30:30 PM

Looks like any program out there looking at rank and extrapolating everything else from it. You could easily do it yourself if you have the rank to sales charts.

Title: Re: Amazon marketing paid tool named Amazon Scout
Post by: Demon_Lord on October 01, 2018, 11:35:06 PM

It turned out to be worse than that, apparently someone hijacked the links out of the email. In another forums, on a Goodreads group, I read that someone got the same thing as me. We both reported it, and it was fixed in less than an hour, which is a record for Amazon taking care of something, especially on a Sunday. Now, the links goes to an Amazon's page.

For a moment, I thought I might been hacked myself, but no. I checked my browser history and after I opened the Amazon email, I went directly to that website, which according to the Who is database, it belongs to a Russian corporation.

I took a couple of screenshots, here they are if you guys want to take a look.

This one is from my Chrome History on Friday, after I opened the email for the first time, I did a Google search before I clicked on the newsletter. And in the pic you can see where that link took me next, and the logos that website shows, and how Amazon's name is being used. I also went to their blog, which uses a logo with Amazon's colors and all.

https://ibb.co/n5cBmz (https://ibb.co/n5cBmz)
(https://ibb.co/n5cBmz)
And in here is a current Google search of their website, in this pic you can see how they offer all type of data, and how that website is organized. When I saw that, I assumed it was legit.

(https://ibb.co/kCvgmz)

https://ibb.co/kCvgmz (https://ibb.co/kCvgmz)

Title: Re: Amazon marketing paid tool named Amazon Scout
Post by: Demon_Lord on October 01, 2018, 11:51:42 PM

BTW Amazon Scout it is a real Amazon thing, and this is the legit URL https://www.amazon.com/scout/