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Comment by replicatorblog | Hacker News Reader

It reminds me of one of PG's lines about hardware now being mostly software. I think we are seeing the first wave of computerization of retail. Think about how backward going to Barnes & Noble or Borders is compared to Amazon.com. There is no cross sell or upsell, no way to easily get reviews, find inventory. I am excited to see Jobs help move a massive company like Disney into this direction. One more way to keep hackers in high demand.

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At my local Borders, the checkout queue is lined with stuff to purchase. It isn't contextual, but it's an upsell nonetheless. Also, the book I want is physically next to other books I may be interested in - that's an effective cross-selling technique (it works on me, anyhow!).

Fair points, I guess I should have said "Personalized" cross sell or upsell. I'd love a borders bar code scanning app so I could see if a book was well rated without having to go to amazon, or to get a "people who like this..." message based on a selection. Those ideas are just the start. I think the startup ethos could be applied pretty heavily to the world of retail, especially as more and more people are carrying around personal computers.

You're right, Amazon really nails the personalized upsell in a way that is tough to do in a retail environment (short of having talented salespeople on the floor).

As for the bar code scanning, isn't that what these folks are trying to accomplish? http://www.redlaser.com/

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