Amazon has stepped into the brick and mortar business world in an ingenious way. Not only can you rate businesses online, leave comments, and enter all of that good meta information that Amazon is known for, you can actually take a stroll up and down the block. They have literally strapped a camera on top of an SUV and have taken millions of photos, one address at a time.
Right now, only metropolitan areas have been hit. But they plan to roll out more soon.
I could see this being highly effective. Giving that visual cue isn’t just a gimmick. Being able to take a virtual stroll down any street gives a bigger impression of the businesses there than just plain text. I’ve always wanted something that could provide more information about businesses in the Yellow Pages. But alas, usually the mom and pop stores that place their ads do little more than that. Now, I can see ratings and pictures online.
Bravo to Amazon.