Article · AI translation
Thanks to IT Home reader 华南吴彦祖 for the tip!
IT Home reported on November 13 that, according to Reuters, Amazon has a secret plan aimed at giving consumers information about products around the world without ever having to leave its platform.
According to an internal document reviewed by Reuters and people familiar with the matter, the plan, called the “World Product Graph,” seeks to collect data on nearly every product for sale worldwide, whether or not Amazon stocks it.
This could make Amazon a true “everything store,” providing extensive, detailed product data, making inroads into Google’s online search territory, and helping it fend off rival Walmart’s expanding e-commerce business.
The move is also intended to address the continued rise of AI shopping agents. The internal document says Amazon’s own AI search agent currently often provides inaccurate information. Once the World Product Graph is fully implemented, Amazon expects its vast volume of data to draw consumers away from competing e-commerce platforms that have less data.
Amazon responded, however, that “the data used in the internal document is seriously outdated.” Amazon said its internal data shows that Alexa for Shopping has an accuracy rate of about 97% worldwide.
The internal document also says: “If consumers have to leave Amazon and laboriously research relationships between products on Google, brand websites and review sites, Amazon cannot become their first destination for every purchase. Those answers do exist, but in the past users could find them only by leaving Amazon and searching painstakingly through brand websites, third-party review sites and technology forums.”
It is not yet clear whether or when the plan will be implemented, but the document, written in a style resembling a press release, sets a target publication date of October 1, 2027.
Amazon said in a statement: “Drafts and outdated documents often present only a partial picture, and the existence of brainstorming documents like these does not necessarily reflect our current plans. We are always exploring new ideas and technologies to make Amazon’s product catalog more comprehensive and accurate and to provide practical help to consumers.”
The document says the core of the World Product Graph is understanding how major brands categorize and display products on their own websites. This would require some brands and retailers to keep supplying Amazon with product data, and would also mean Amazon scraping other retailers’ websites itself. It is unclear how Amazon plans to scrape those sites or whether it would need their permission in every case.
The document shows that Amazon has already signed agreements with companies including Coca-Cola and Bayer to provide product data. Amazon also held a “CEO-level P&G / Amazon summit” with Procter & Gamble to discuss a related pilot. None of those companies responded to requests for comment.
IT Home note: The document describing the plan is known internally at Amazon as a PR / FAQ (press release and frequently asked questions)—typically a six-page narrative memo used to make the case for the underlying rationale and business value of a new product or service. People familiar with the matter said not every PR / FAQ ultimately becomes a real product; the World Product Graph could still be changed or even canceled for financial or other reasons.