AMAZON HAS JUST announced that sales were up 41 per cent and profits increased by 45 per cent over the same period last year. The internet giant that started life selling books online has reported that the bulk of its sales are now in consumer goods.

Amazon is always innovative and is presently testing a very interesting marketing idea that would link the number-one internet retailer with the number-one social media site, Facebook. Visitors can now log into their Facebook profiles through Amazon and receive very detailed, personalised buying recommendations. And not just suggestions as to what the visitor is likely to want, but the screen will also show reminders about all their Facebook friends’ birthdays, etc.

Before making buying recommendations, Amazon will also consult all the personal information your friends have publicly posted on Facebook. It will also check on whatever items that person has previously purchased from Amazon and thus make a suggestion based on that friend’s lifestyle.
Long ago, people used to flick through mail-order catalogues. Now they flip through thousands of items on Amazon and add items to a wish list that is stored at Amazon HQ.

Couples getting married often post a wish list with John Lewis so people can buy appropriate presents, but now many are posting their lists on Amazon.

Facebook has gained tremendous popularity in the past few years and almost all my computer customers now have a Facebook account. The link-up will soon give Amazon a huge amount of marketing data. I have a mere 133 Facebook friends, whereas ERT’s editor Sean Hannam has 589, so it is easy to see how Amazon’s data collection will mushroom.

One of my friends, Bryan Dunn, the head of Best Buy, has 4,999 friends, but I doubt very much he will choose to access his Facebook through Amazon, as he would be giving valuable information to a rival company.

I think this scheme will be a success. Facebook already reminds me of upcoming birthdays, but now Amazon will check the person’s profile and no doubt suggest I buy them a Sony 3D TV. This integration of the selling world with the social media world is very interesting and cannot be ignored.
Perhaps it is time to check out the possibility of selling online through Amazon. Some very long-established Retra members, such as Eddy’s of Nottingham and KK Electronics of London, already have a high-profile presence on Amazon.

I HAD A frantic phone call from a dealer who suspected that someone had taken control of his shop’s PC. Someone had rung up saying they were from Microsoft and that emails weren’t getting through.

He accepted their offer of a “free remote check-up” and said he watched as the mouse whizzed all over the screen. He was then asked to check for emails and they were all missing.

The caller then said the “free check” was over and he now needed credit card details before providing “remote assistance” at a cost of £100. The dealer sensed a problem, hung up and phoned me. Fortunately, we knew all about this scam. The scammer renames the mailbox and after a few minutes of instruction from us, he was able to retrieve his mail. Most people are too embarrassed to report it to the police. Take care!

Graham Knight