Amazon Vine
Encyclopedia
Amazon Vine is an internal service of Amazon.com
. It is a program that allows manufacturers and publishers to create "buzz" via review
s that are published on the Amazon.com site and elsewhere. Companies that use this service pay for access. The precise cost for companies to participate is unknown. Examples of companies participating and offering their products include Logitech
, Microsoft
, Altec Lansing
, HP, Canon, and Corel
.
The first wave of Vine participants were selected by Amazon in 2007. At that time, most of the reviewers were "ranked" amongst Amazon's Top 2000 reviewers.
The Vine program enables Amazon to offer pre-release reviews while ensuring that the reviewers have actually read the book or used the product.
Vendors undoubtedly hope that pre-release reviews will generate "early buzz".
Currently, Amazon sends the Vine members (called "Vine Voices") a list of items twice a month. Products include books, movies, electronics, food items, and other products. Members make selections from the list and Amazon sends the items to the users at no cost.
Amazon states that members are invited "based on the trust they have earned in the Amazon community for writing accurate and insightful reviews" however it has been noted that some reviewers have only 1 review on their profile when they were asked to join.
s make up the bulk of available items, and are offered to almost every member. However, there is a large variety of other products available, ranging from $1 stationery
products to $5,000 treadmill
s. Examples of popular electronics offered to Vine members include GPS navigators
, PC gaming products
, netbooks, tablet PC
s, NAS devices/servers
, cameras, camcorders, speakers
, hard drives, etc.
Items are given to Vine members free of charge. In return, members are required to post reviews for 75% of the received items before ordering new ones.
The fourth Thursday of each month is the "leftovers" newsletter. Vine Voice members may select from a list of all available "leftover" merchandise. Each month, 2 or more items may be selected from the targeted newsletter. An additional 2 or more selections are available from the "leftovers" newsletter. Once or twice a year, after an excess of unchosen items has built up, Vine Voice members are permitted to choose four items from the "leftovers."
Amazon states that targeted newsletters are based on review/purchase history, but many Vine Voice members have pointed out that their targeting seems to have little relation to their purchases, Vine requests, or reviews posted. Vine Voice members frequently speculate on the Vine forum about how targeting is done.
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. It is a program that allows manufacturers and publishers to create "buzz" via review
Review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
s that are published on the Amazon.com site and elsewhere. Companies that use this service pay for access. The precise cost for companies to participate is unknown. Examples of companies participating and offering their products include Logitech
Logitech
Logitech International S.A. is a global provider of personal peripherals for computers and other digital platforms headquartered in Romanel-sur-Morges, Switzerland. The company develops and markets products like peripheral devices for PCs, including keyboards, mice, microphones, game controllers...
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Altec Lansing
Altec Lansing
Altec Lansing is a line of professional, home, automotive, computer, and multimedia audio products first developed in 1936. They were used in many studios as monitor speakers...
, HP, Canon, and Corel
Corel
Corel Corporation from the abbreviation is a computer software company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, that specializes in graphics processing, similar to Adobe Systems...
.
The first wave of Vine participants were selected by Amazon in 2007. At that time, most of the reviewers were "ranked" amongst Amazon's Top 2000 reviewers.
The Vine program enables Amazon to offer pre-release reviews while ensuring that the reviewers have actually read the book or used the product.
Vendors undoubtedly hope that pre-release reviews will generate "early buzz".
Currently, Amazon sends the Vine members (called "Vine Voices") a list of items twice a month. Products include books, movies, electronics, food items, and other products. Members make selections from the list and Amazon sends the items to the users at no cost.
Ownership
All items sent to the members of Amazon Vine remain the property of Amazon.com. As a practical matter, however, Amazon has never been known to request the return of any item nor has the legality of their continued rights in Vine items ever been challenged or upheld. In addition, many Vine products are perishable, such as food items, which further clouds any claim to perpetual ownership rights Amazon may assert.Membership Criteria
Amazon has not revealed the criteria they use for selecting users. Membership is through invitation only. Potential members of Vine are invited into the program through email or by a special link on the Amazon.com home page.Amazon states that members are invited "based on the trust they have earned in the Amazon community for writing accurate and insightful reviews" however it has been noted that some reviewers have only 1 review on their profile when they were asked to join.
Products
BookBook
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s make up the bulk of available items, and are offered to almost every member. However, there is a large variety of other products available, ranging from $1 stationery
Stationery
Stationery has historically meant a wide gamut of materials: paper and office supplies, writing implements, greeting cards, glue, pencil case etc.-History of stationery:...
products to $5,000 treadmill
Treadmill
A treadmill is an exercise machine for running or walking while staying in one place. The word treadmill traditionally refers to a type of mill which was operated by a person or animal treading steps of a wheel to grind grain...
s. Examples of popular electronics offered to Vine members include GPS navigators
GPS navigation device
A GPS navigation device is any device that receives Global Positioning System signals for the purpose of determining the device's current location on Earth...
, PC gaming products
Logitech 'G' series
The Logitech 'G' series is the term used to describe Logitech's high-end gaming peripherals. This term includes mice, keyboards and game controllers. In general, most of these products use full speed USB for their connection, rather than PS/2...
, netbooks, tablet PC
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
s, NAS devices/servers
Network-attached storage
Network-attached storage is file-level computer data storage connected to a computer network providing data access to heterogeneous clients. NAS not only operates as a file server, but is specialized for this task either by its hardware, software, or configuration of those elements...
, cameras, camcorders, speakers
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
, hard drives, etc.
Items are given to Vine members free of charge. In return, members are required to post reviews for 75% of the received items before ordering new ones.
Vine Forum
Amazon hosts a forum for Vine Voices members only.Vine Voices Newsletter
The Vine Voices newsletter is usually sent to Vine Voice members the third Thursday of each month (holidays excepted). Sometimes Vine members are offered an additional newsletter to choose from. Amazon states that this newsletter is targeted to its recipients. There are at least several versions of the targeted newsletter, which vary significantly in both the number and kinds of items offered. Members quickly select their targeted merchandise and the merchandise is promptly shipped by Amazon for Vine Voices to review.The fourth Thursday of each month is the "leftovers" newsletter. Vine Voice members may select from a list of all available "leftover" merchandise. Each month, 2 or more items may be selected from the targeted newsletter. An additional 2 or more selections are available from the "leftovers" newsletter. Once or twice a year, after an excess of unchosen items has built up, Vine Voice members are permitted to choose four items from the "leftovers."
Amazon states that targeted newsletters are based on review/purchase history, but many Vine Voice members have pointed out that their targeting seems to have little relation to their purchases, Vine requests, or reviews posted. Vine Voice members frequently speculate on the Vine forum about how targeting is done.