Welcome to this week’s edition of eFocus, RepricerExpress’ weekly look at the top ecommerce stories and latest Amazon news from around the Web including Amazon revamps its review system, Amazon drones could deliver packages in 30 minutes, Amazon to pay Kindle authors only for pages read, Alibaba flogs Main 11 and eBay Enterprise to be sold before Paypal/eBay divorce.
Amazon looks to improve customer-reviews system with machine learning: Ben Fox Rubin at CNET reports that Amazon is rolling out a big change to its customer reviews system in the US, in the form of a new machine-learning platform it developed in-house to surface newer and more helpful reviews. “The system will learn what reviews are most helpful to customers…and it improves over time,” said Amazon spokeswoman Julie Law. Continue reading…
Amazon says its 30 minute drone delivery service will be ready in a year – if FAA changes it rules on flights: Mark Prigg at Daily Mail reports that Amazon has told Congress it plans to use drones to deliver packages in 30 minutes or less and they will be ready in a year. However, it warned that FAA regulations needed to change before the service can launch. When government regulations catch up with emerging technologies, “it could revolutionize the way people shop for items they need quickly,” said Paul E. Misener, vice-president of global public policy for Amazon.com. Continue reading…
Amazon to pay Kindle authors only for pages read: Anita Singh at The Telegraph reports that Amazon is to begin paying royalties to writers based on the number of pages read by Kindle users, rather than the number of books downloaded. If a reader abandons the book a quarter of the way in, the author will get only a quarter of the money they would have earned if the reader stuck it out to the end. The move has dismayed some authors, who believe it sets a dangerous precedent and could spread across the industry. Continue reading…
eBay Enterprise to be sold before eBay/PayPal split: Dan Wilson at Tamebay reports that the eBay Enterprise division of eBay Inc. is expected to be sold in advance of the formal eBay/PayPal split. The divorce is expected to go through on July 1st 2015. eBay Enterprise currently offers selling software, customer service, warehousing and fulfilment services. Continue reading…
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