Amazon.com Launches aStore Custom Store Building Wizard

Amazon.com has launched a new custom store application (associates login required) that allows anyone to build a store with the inventory of their choice using Amazon's powerful retail platform.

Using a simple wizard, one simply searches for and adds products to the custom store. The look and feel of the store can be customized for integration into web sites.

I just gave it a try - this store, currently featuring 9 products I know and love, took 5 minutes to build - and have to say that it's very easy to use. Adding products really is as simple as searching Amazon's catalog and clicking an "Add" button. Custom category pages are filled out using custom search criteria (perfect for a Vanilla Ice tribute page).

This could be done before using Amazon Web Services, but that involved programming skills beyond what the average Amazon Associate possesses or is willing to invest in. Simplifying the process down to a few-step wizard should make custom stores take off.

Bloggers often mention books and gadgets they like on their web site, but there wasn't an easy way to keep an inventory of what products they truly enjoyed before. Now they can add new products to their store as they're turned on by them, or banish them as they break.

This could also be valuable for personal product recommendations. When people ask me for gadget recommendations, I'll be able to simply tell them to go to Technology Evangelist and click on our Recommended Products link. This makes it easier for the person I'm recommending a product to, avoids this phone call: "Okay, I'm on Amazon right now. What GPS system did you recommend again?", and puts a few bucks in our pocket through the associates program. A win-win-win.

The product is in beta at this point, and is limited to 9 custom featured products plus category pages based on custom search criteria. This is quite restrictive, since I would certainly be willing to endorse more than nine products, given a chance. I imagine I won't be the only person with this request, so I expect that will change over time.

Perhaps you should update this, as amazon astores have come a long way since you wrote this. The way you can now add upto 99 astores/id's is great fro tracking purposes and you can add upto 54 items on each category and subcategory page!
Perhaps you'd like to check out my tutorial - here

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