Please note: This site's design is only visible in a graphical browser that supports Web standards, but its content is accessible to any browser or Internet device. To see this site as it was designed please upgrade to a Web standards compliant browser.
 
Signal vs. Noise

Our book:
Defensive Design for the Web: How To Improve Error Messages, Help, Forms, and Other Crisis Points
Available Now ($16.99)

Most Popular (last 15 days)
Looking for old posts?
37signals Mailing List

Subscribe to our free newsletter and receive updates on 37signals' latest projects, research, announcements, and more (about one email per month).

37signals Services
Syndicate
XML version (full posts)
Get Firefox!

Capturing Demand: A Win-Win Situation

27 May 2003 by

Yeah, we all know that Amazon does a lot of things right, but here’s an especially great one that demonstrates their industry-leading dedication to the customer: They “stock” products that don’t even exist. And I’m not talking about a book that’s planned, but not yet released… I’m talking about a product that simply doesn’t exist (“The studio is not currently producing this title on DVD”).

amazon capturing demand

So, rather than saying “no results found” when I search for “Microcosmos DVD” ( like bn.com does), they send me to a dedicated page that allows me to sign up to be notified when the product is released (which will hopefully lead to a sale for Amazon). And, even better than that, they encourage me to sign up by letting me know that when I sign up, I’m also “voting for this release” (they’ll let the studio know how many customers are waiting for this title — hopefully encouraging the studio to bring the product to market). Amazon is the best at creating win-win situations. Got any other examples of these sorts of win-wins?

21 comments so far (Post a Comment)

27 May 2003 | steve said...

Netflix does the same thing for DVDs awaiting release, even if the release date is unknown ("Bowling for Columbine"), several months in the future ("The Indiana Jones Trilogy"), or if the movie is not yet released in theathers but destined for DVD ("The Italian Job").

27 May 2003 | Franois said...

Are you refering to Microcosmos, le peuple de l'herbe, a movie by Jacques Perrin? That movie has been released on DVD in 2001 and there are even 2 or 3 editions available now. Check on Amazon.fr!

So much for the customer dedication :-)

27 May 2003 | Jamie said...

In a similar vein, with Roger's Video, if the movie you're searching for hasn't been released yet, you can sign-up to have an email sent to you when the DVD is released.

27 May 2003 | hurley#1 said...

That movie has been released on DVD in 2001 and there are even 2 or 3 editions available now. Check on Amazon.fr!

It's true that the French-narrated edition is available on DVD (it's available from amazon.ca if anyone wants the North American format), but the English-narrated version is not available in North America on DVD. Not that it matters much, there's only a couple of minutes of narration in the entire film.

27 May 2003 | Jesper said...

Actually, Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) came up with his idea; it's all in his postume-biography The Salmon of Doubt. Look somewhere right before the middle.

27 May 2003 | pb said...

Why buy when you can watch on Kottke's Tivo?

http://www.kottke.org/03/05/030527microcosmos.html

27 May 2003 | Steve said...

DVD Express, now defunct but back in the day a great company for buying, well, DVDs, did the same thing. They'd send you an email when the release got close, too, so you could go back on purchase it. And I was going to mention Netflix, too. Nice thing they do is automatically move a future release you've added to your list into your rental queue when it gets a couple weeks away from release.

28 May 2003 | Jesper said...

"with his idea" = "with this idea". Blasted laptop keyboards.

28 May 2003 | Paul said...

I'm with you Jason -- I think that letting potential customers sign up for an alert upon release is cool technology well implemented, but the offer to aggregate requests and pass them along to the company trying to make the publishing decision is the innovation that's unique and downright rad. A tiny little extra step that may make an enormous difference to customers and to publishers. Win-win, indeed.

04 Nov 2003 | Osoyoos said...

11 Dec 2003 | penis enlargement said...

Just dropping by to say hi! Check out our website at penis enlargement if you have time.

09 Jan 2004 | Erotik said...

stop the spam

12 Jan 2004 | jan said...

nice pages

12 Jan 2004 | Giorgio said...

Cool site

16 Jan 2004 | Fruit Machine Download said...

Not a bad idea really, perhaps they have a nice little client list by the time the release is available....

17 Jan 2004 | aeon said...

You website is very good!I will come next time !

18 Jan 2004 | Amanda Lorence said...

Hi, My name is Amanda Lorence, I found your site on Webcrawler.com. I live in Canada, British Columbia. You've got an awesome site. Very well designed, with lot's of good links and important info.
( shemale video chat)

18 Jan 2004 | handylogos said...

yeah

18 Jan 2004 | sms bilder said...

right !

22 Jan 2004 | SMS Sprche + Handysprche said...

Hello,

I landed here by one link on another homepage. a nice side, I comes back certainly times :-)
Greetings from Germany

polyphone Klingeltne SMS Sprche + Handysprche Gifs MMS-Bilder Grukarten Klingeltne Bildmitteilungen mp3 download + midi files downloads Liebes Sprche + Gedichte Bildmitteilungen smssprche Flash + Blinkende SMS Freie SMS Free Logos + Ringtones Grukarten + Geburtstag + Hochzeit + Weihnachten + Geburt + Ostern + Valentinstag Farblogos SMS senden mms bilder logos Handy Wallpaper + Hintergrundbilder Klingeltne + Klingeltne Nokia + Klingeltne Siemens Handylogos polyphone Klingeltne Bildmitteilungen Bildmitteilung Handylogo Logos Klingelton SMS Sprche Grusskarten mp3 download Grsse + Geburtstag + SMS Bilder Klingeltne Polyphon Klingeltne Sharp Klingeltne Samsung Klingel Tne MMS Logos MMS versenden Klingeltne Ericcson Klingeltne Sharp SMS Sprche versenden Handylogos ascii bilder SMS Spruch klingeltne motorola Polyphoner Klingelton Siemens Klingeltne Betreiberlogo geburtstagssprche sprche freundschaft Liebeskummer nokia klingeltne manga + anime MMS Bilder Grukarte movies + filme sprche geburtstag Mailboxsprche Desktop Wallpapers Anrufbeantwortersprche Sprche verliebt sprche geburtstag klingeltne polyphone manga bilder anime bilder sms versenden mms logos Logos + Bildmitteilungen + SMS Sprche + Klingeltne per SMS handylogos + mms-bilder + sms-sprche + bildmitteilungen klingelton + klingeltne + polyphone Klingeltne + kligeltne

Comments on this post are closed

 
Back to Top ^