Amazon’s Choice: What is it & how are the products selected?

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It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Amazon.com has changed the way we shop in the 20+ years it’s been in existence. The Seattle-based company has become the world’s largest online retailer in large part by constantly selling thousands of items people want to buy at extremely competitive prices.

Fairly recently, the company started labeling select products as “Amazon’s Choice.” If you’ve seen these labels, you might be wondering just what Amazon’s Choice is all about. More specifically, what does it mean that a product is considered “Amazon’s Choice?”

What is Amazon’s Choice & what does it mean?

Amazon’s Choice products are easily identified by a black badge placed over the item. If you move your mouse pointer over the badge, a box will pop up that says, “Amazon’s Choice recommends highly rated, well-priced products available to ship immediately.”

Amazon’s Choice debuted in 2015 as a supplement to the Echo’s voice assistant Alexa. The thinking was that if you asked Alexa for the best deal on diapers, it would use an algorithm coupled with your purchase history to make a suggestion. But what if you hadn’t bought any diapers via Amazon? Well, that’s when it would choose an Amazon’s Choice-labeled product.

While many people have been trying to crack the code behind Amazon’s Choice items, the company has been coy about revealing what constitutes a “Choice” of theirs. One thing is certain though: The designation is supposed to make it easier for shoppers to decide on what to buy.

Explaining the company’s rationale, an Amazon spokesperson told tech site CNET that, “We launched Amazon’s Choice in 2015 as a way to simplify shopping for customers by highlighting highly rated, well-priced products ready to ship immediately for the most popular searches on Amazon. It’s been a really popular feature both on Amazon and on Alexa, because it allows customers to make fast and easy decisions on what to buy. Amazon’s Choice is just our recommendation, and customers can always ask for specific brands or products if they choose.”

Here’s how Amazon says they make their Choice picks

Based on the parameters provided by the company, Amazon’s Choice can aptly be described as covering three tent poles that the online retailer has identified as primary purchase-drivers:

  • Highly rated + well priced: While we don’t know how the reviews algorithm defines “highly rated,” Amazon identifies the product as a good deal for the value it provides.
  • It’s in stock: These products are “ready to ship immediately,” increasing the likelihood of no delivery delays.
  • Popular on search: These items are some of the most-searched products on Amazon.com.

All of the aforementioned qualities make Amazon’s Choice products come up pretty high in search results, presumably leading to more sales.

Additionally, according to OneSpace.com, a consumer insights platform, the criteria for Amazon’s Choice includes another factor: The product must have a low return rate in comparison to similar items.

While there is some criticism that the retailer is actually stifling consumers’ choice and their right to decide what to buy for themselves, OneSpace.com notes that 85% of people follow the retailer’s suggestion and end up buying Amazon’s Choice.

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So, it seems that by funneling attention to select products, Amazon’s Choice helps shoppers save time and money. Of course, it’s the latter of those two things we here on Team Clark care the most about. To that end, here are three money-saving Amazon Prime perks you need to know.

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