Amazon's 'risky' new redesign

The mega e-retailer might alienate customers by replacing the familiar site with a sleek, tablet-friendly look

Amazon is reportedly testing out its site redesign on random customers, which one Flickr user screen grabbed while searching for a book.
(Image credit: CC BY: alan taylor)

Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is testing a "major redesign" of its website. The streamlined new look (see the screenshots here) appears especially suited for tablet computers, giving credence to the mounting rumors that Amazon will release a tablet of its own in the coming weeks. But with all of the offerings Amazon has added of late, from the Cloud Player to streaming video, and with the holiday shopping season approaching, some suggest that a site redesign is "risky." Is it?

Nope. This is a smart move: The new design is more "mobile-friendly" and looks "more current," says analyst Ezra Gottheil, as quoted by InfoWorld. Sure, people will continue shopping from their computers for awhile. But with the rise of tablets, Amazon customers' buying behavior is bound to become more mobile, and "it makes sense to go in this direction."

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