As I record podcast episodes, many interviewees refer to Launch Names, Dates and Descriptions, and I’ve frequently had to revisit my notes to remember what launched when, and by whom. This page is an attempt to organize the details of Amazon.com’s product and service launch dates as we discuss them in various Invent Like an Owner podcast episodes. Expect that I will update this page regularly. If there are mistakes in the timeline below, please contact me to suggest edits.
Amazon.com officially launches to the public. The v1 homepage had no navigation, search wasn’t on the homepage. It was black type on a white page, with blue links.
The v2 launch added side navigation to help customers navigate the Amazon book catalog, plus book images, discount stickers and more (discussed in Episode 1, Episode 6 and others)
The v3 launch included 1-Click Shopping, Instant Recommendation (powered by the short-lived BookMatcher, powered by NetPerceptions), Browse, Chicklet navigation and Search box added to homepage (discussed in Episode 1, Episode 6 and others)
The v4 launch created the ultimately online holiday experience, with electronic Gift Certificates (great for last minute shopping), a holiday gift center, an Amazon Kids gift center, and more.
Bowtega search results (discussed in Episode 3) helped consumers more quickly find their intended product, by surfacing 3 ‘more likely’ books atop the Amazon’s alphabetical book search results in 1998.
v5’s Music launch was a huge step for Amazon, as it expanded beyond selling just book. It also had a pre-launch beta that launched on May 14, 1998. The addition of the tab was innovative, although the tab metaphor got a bit overused in coming months, as new categories were…
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