The most recent foray into gaining advertising revenue at Amazon reveals an approach that shoppers, particularly those who visit Pinterest, will recognize for its visual style and approach. It’s called Interesting Finds and became available as part of the retailer’s Sponsored Productsbusiness.
CommerceHub called it a “new combination of a Wish List, Pinterest competitor, and added real estate for Sponsored Products.” The grid-style display of Interesting Finds bills itself as something that will be updated daily to show items similar to those a visitor marks by clicking a “heart” icon next to a product image.
The Interesting Finds page may be sorted to show just women’s or men’s items, as well as ones that are Fun, or Yours as noted by the hearts a shopper clicked on previous visits.
Product pictures show the price discreetly in each item’s corner, rendered in a neutral greyish color so as to not distract from the visual experience.
Click an image and product details open in a new view within the browser window. From there the interested consumer can click through to product details, opening a familiar Amazon page with the usual details and Add to Cart buttons.
As noted earlier, Interesting Finds is part of Amazon’s advertising efforts. While the items are ostensibly on display for their fun factor, as CommerceHub noted the page also displays a “These Products Are Sponsored” message containing a link to find more information.
Amazon has proved its money-making prowess year after year. The company generated $107 billion in revenue for 2015. In 2014, the Seattle Times called Amazon’s entry into ad sales a “1 billion dollar sideline business.” Right now, Interesting Finds looks like yet another effort to try and promote ads from the sidelines to a prominent place on the field.
