I just checked out Zoomii.com which is an online bookstore that lets your browse bookshelves filled with books from Amazon.com by section as if you were in a bookstore. I have found that the main benefit to this method is that you can easily see books similar to the one you are browsing for and others nearby. Amazon has this feature in its “recommended” section, but somehow browsing in a natural bookshelf manner seems more appropriate.
Below is a video explaining the system:
Another nice feature is that books actually have different shapes and sizes – bringing back the mantra of judging books by their cover.
Clicking on a book brings up further details and allows you to add things to your cart, add to your wishlist, or checkout. Zoomii gathers your shopping actions and sends them over to Amazon once you are ready to checkout.
I had not seen a solid mashup like this in awhile and it got me thinking about the power of something like this. I could see Zoomii doing this for multiple goods and in a bigger more 3D environment. Seeing and interacting with items is one thing that online shopping does not allow but innovation in this space is bridging the gap slowly.
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July 8, 2008
Technology