Amazon could be working on an AI-powered web browser
Amazon could be considering launching its own web browser, based on a recent survey spotted by Nicholas de Leon of Consumer Reports.
The ecommerce and cloud services giant has sent out emails asking customers to participate in a 5-minute survey about web browsers.
“We want to understand what our customers value about current web browsers and what they wish the browsers could do better,” an introduction to the survey explained.
“By participating in this survey, you will contribute to innovations that improve the browsing experiences for millions of people around the world.”
De Leon said he was not sure what other interpretation there was for the survey other than Amazon weighing a browser launch.
Many people have responded with scepticism about how Amazon could grow its browser market share.
But De Leon said Amazon could use incentives on its own platforms — like discounts, exclusive pop-up sales, or no ads on Twitch.
Screenshot showing the browser survey email sent to De Leon. Credit: Nicholas De Leon/Twitter
In one of the survey’s questions, Amazon asks customers to imagine that Amazon has a new desktop/laptop browser, and select which of its features they would like to know most about.
Other questions ask users about their current browser preferences and habits. They also request that they rate the importance of certain features like browser extensions, blocking third-party cookies, and text-to-speech conversion.
The final question in the survey also asked whether AI-enabled tab, history, and bookmarks management was a factor in convincing the user to download or try a browser.
If Amazon were to launch its own web browser in the next two years, it could stir the online ads industry at just the right time.
Advertisers are concerned that Google’s decision to kill third-party cookies in Chrome by the end of 2024 and replace them with tools from its Privacy Sandbox could make targeted, relevant advertising more difficult.
Google made over $224 billion (R4.12 trillion) in online advertising revenue in 2022, most of which came from websites like Google Search and YouTube.
Aside from its ecommerce and cloud services, Amazon is also a formidable force in online advertising, despite not offering its own web browser.
In 2022, it raked in nearly $38 billion (R699 billion) from ads, more than it earned from its Prime subscription service.
Many marketers choose to place ads on Amazon’s websites because it holds valuable data regarding its customers’ product preferences and shopping habits.
Leveraging this data to serve web ads could give Amazon an edge over Google’s privacy-focused approach.
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