1-Click(TM) Integration Drives 9 Percent Sales Increase for Books Included in Search Inside

SEATTLE, Oct 30, 2003 -- Amazon.com (Nasdaq:AMZN) today announced the initial results of its new feature, Search Inside the Book, which launched on October 23.

In the first five days, sales growth for titles included in Search Inside the Book outpaced growth for titles not in the program by 9 percent. This is a large, statistically significant sample (120,000 titles) with a large valid control group, consisting of the remaining titles that do not have Search Inside treatment.

"Search Inside the Book is driving increased sales," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "We're truly excited by the positive response from customers."

The increased sales are a direct result of Search Inside the Book's deep integration with Amazon.com's easy-to-use 1-Click(TM) payment system, and Amazon.com's millions of pre-registered, active customers.

Search Inside the Book launched with 190 publishers, and since the launch of the program, 37 additional publishers have contacted Amazon.com requesting to participate.

From customers:

 

  • "During the past weekend, I entered a search for a favorite author, Jean Pierre de Caussade, and was surprised to find that, instead of the usual thirteen listings I usually find, there were eighty-one listings. These listings included not only books authored by Caussade, but also books by other authors that reference him. I was able to access pages in these books that refer to Caussade. You could see all the pages on which his name appeared. I thought this was a wonderful innovation by Amazon.com. I was able to find three books, which I have already ordered, that I would not have found without this new searching capability."
    - Vancouver, Washington
  • "I could see the cover of the book, I remembered the story, but I could not come up with the title and wanted to recommend it to a friend as a choice for her book club. So...I typed in "savannah" and there it was...Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil...of course!"
    - Reston, Virginia
  • "I just wanted to thank you VERY much for your new "Search Inside the Book" feature. For the past 10 years I've been searching high and low for a book I read in high school. The book contained a poem I really liked, but I couldn't remember the name of the book or the name of the poet...all I could remember was the first line "There are wolves in the next room waiting." I've searched the Internet (over and over) and every poetry anthology I've come across. No luck. However, I happened to stop by Amazon.com today and noticed your new feature...not only did my search get a hit, I got to see the page in the book containing the poem -- "The Wolves", by Allen Tate, by the way -- and order it, too). You guys really made my day. :-)"
    - San Carlos, California
  • "I have been looking for years for any reference in a book about the big earthquake that shook Oriental Mindoro, an island-province in the Philippines, in 1994. I grew up in that island, and I was there during the quake. And so I typed "Mindoro earthquake" and voila! - first on the list is a book by Greg Bankoff with reference on it! It is good to know that that event, though it happened in a relatively insignificant place, was chronicled. And thanks to your new feature - now I can buy the exact book."
    - Los Angeles, California
  • "Faroese language? Who in their right mind would look that up? Who even knows where it derives from? Me and me. Nevertheless Amazon managed to scrounge up the few results there was on the subject. This amazing inside the book feature even gave me some very interesting excerpts from the book that contained information I picked up right away. So do you know where the Faroese comes from? I didn't think so. Excuse me, I have a purchase to make. :)"
    - Washington Township, New Jersey

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened its virtual doors on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and sellers list millions of unique new and used items in categories such as apparel and accessories, sporting goods, electronics, computers, kitchenware and housewares, books, music, DVDs, videos, cameras and photo items, toys, baby items and baby registry, software, computer and video games, cell phones and service, tools and hardware, travel services, magazine subscriptions and outdoor living items.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, consumer acceptance of new services, risks related to potential future losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, commercial agreements and strategic alliances, seasonality, potential fluctuations in operating results and rate of growth, foreign exchange rates, management of potential growth, system interruption, international expansion, consumer trends, inventory, fulfillment center optimization, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, fraud, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002, and all subsequent filings.

SOURCE: Amazon.com