Amazon – Progessive and incremental changes for higher conversion

Amazon 1995

If you’ve been on Amazon.co.uk recently you will have noticed they are celebrating their 10th anniversary. How many can remember what Amazon’s site looked like 10 years ago?

I can’t remember either but I know it looked nothing like it does today!

Amazon UK’s big brother is three years older being launched in 1995 and this is what it looked like when it first arrived on the scene (on the right):-

Amazon re-design or Evolution?

Today is looks a lot different (below) and looks like it’s gone through some major re-design since first being launched when it just sold books.

Amazon 2008

It’s looks like there has been major changes and there has but there’s been no major re-design! It’s all been achieved in small changes along the way.

Each element has undergone optimisation through testing small changes to the layout, colour schemes (text, background) the buy now buttons, their size, position, shape and colour and the addition of extra facilities such as wishlist, 1-click etc over time.

Any re-design was of specific areas rather than the whole page or site. The site we see now has developed through an evolutionary process of small incremental changes being repeatedly tested to find the most successful combinations with the measure of success being their contribution to Amazon’s conversion rate, sales and bottom-line.

One thing is certain. It will continue to evolve in response to pressures and changes in its operating environment. Amazon.co.uk will also continue to evolve and change over time but you and I will probably not even notice!

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