(Originally posted in Isobar's blog)
The current use of Facebook integration with Amazon seems like a half-baked idea . The integration, as it currently stands, is an isolated page on Amazon, and not integrated into the heart of the site, the product pages (or at least from what I could see looking at the example Elf, which was popular with my Facebook friends). It would be most relevant to show the info as the user is viewing the product.
Razorfish first introduced the idea of a Facebook Connect/Amazon in 2008. They suggested that Facebook should use the data from the user’s profile to offer relevant products based on what is already known about the user. They also suggested polling friends and getting feedback at the point of sale to gauge friend’s opinions on the products.
The integration has the potential to be a very positive for the Amazon customers. In March and April, 2009 for part of my graduate coursework, I performed qualitative usability studies using a beta music evaluation tool developed by Sun Microsystems, Music Explaura. We evaluated user’s levels of satisfaction with the system’s recommendations versus its competitors (iTunes, Pandora, Last.fm), the trustworthiness of the system, and the “steerability of the recommendations”.
The study’s conclusions could have implications for Amazon and Facebook recommendations:
The user’s ratings of the site corresponded to how much they agreed with the recommendations presented to them.
If they agreed with the relevance of the selection, they had a more positive view of the site. If Amazon gets it right and can offer user’s suggestions based on the Facebook content in a relevant manner, they could boost the user’s views of the site and opinion that it is trustworthy. Or, it could negatively impact the opinion if done poorly.
Users tended to rate the source as more trustworthy if they know other users they view as “similar”, that is with the same taste in music or same level of enthusiasm, also liked a recommendation. For Amazon and Facebook, users that belong to the same Facebook group, even if they do not know each other, could offer persuasive influences over buying behaviors.
Adding a few more elements to this process could dramatically improve the user’s experience. In order for this to be truly successful, recommendations need to be relevant and provided in the right context. If not, it could be more burdensome than helpful. Hopefully this integration is an evolution and Amazon will continue to improve the integration as users provide more feedback.
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