Amazon today launches a new service called Amazon Explore that allows customers to book live virtual experiences led by local experts. Experiences can be centered around creativity, learning DIY skills, taking virtual tours of distant places or cultural landmarks, or, in some cases, shopping at local boutiques around the world.
For example, you could book virtual wine tasting experiences in Argentina, learn how to make smoked fish tacos in Mexico, take a virtual tour of Kyoto's Nanzenji Temple, visit a 500-year-old mansion in Peru, learn about coffee making on the Costa Rica, learn how to make sushi from a home kitchen in Tokyo and more.
While the tours and experiences offer the ability to travel virtually around the world, the ability to sign up for an Amazon Explore session is currently offered by invitation only for customers in the United States.
The virtual experiences themselves will be led by local experts trained and supported by Amazon, the company says. While there are other ways to virtually tour the world, such as watching YouTube videos or perhaps taking guided tours via Google Earth, the Amazon Explore experience is different because it is an individual session between the guest and the viewer, enabled by one- two-way video and audio for real-time communications. This is intended to give the viewer more of the feeling of "being there", compared to experiences where you more passively watch the video on screen.
The sessions themselves last from 30 to 60 minutes and can be canceled or rescheduled with a maximum notice of 24 hours. When it's time to start the tour, simply log into your Amazon account online, then click on the Your Session page from the "Your Orders" section to get started.
Sessions will require you to have a laptop or desktop, as they are not currently optimized for mobile devices. You'll also need a Chrome, Edge, or Safari web browser, functional microphone (the built-in one is fine), and a set of headphones or speakers, as well as an internet connection of 5 Mbps or higher.
During the session, you can ask questions or further direct the experience by asking the guest to spend more time on one aspect of the experience or skip another. You can also use the camera icon at the bottom of the live stream to take photos.
Some, but not all, experiences are also shopping-enabled. In these cases, customers can visit local shops and markets, browse items, and ask the store owner questions as if they were there in person. They can then choose to make a purchase and receive the items they purchased as if they had purchased directly on Amazon.com. When making a purchase, payments are handled within Amazon's secure payment system using the payment method associated with the customer's account. He will then refund the host for the purchased item, accordingly.
In these enabled shopping experiences, Amazon is somewhat tapping into the live streaming shopping trend, but instead of having an influencer talking and demonstrating a product, as is often the case on Amazon Live, for example, you can actually pose ask the store owner or ask them to zoom in on the product or flip it over for better viewing.
Although Amazon has created live streaming tools for its Live platform, the company says the Amazon Explore experience uses unique technology and is not leveraging
Amazon says the new platform offers more opportunities for small business owners looking to generate additional revenue, including shop owners, local guides, chefs, stylists, artists and artisans, for example. Many of these companies have been affected by the pandemic, of course, which could lead to their participation.
The prices for the sessions are variable. At launch, a virtual styling session is offered for just $ 10, for example. Meanwhile, a virtual tour of New York's Central Park costs $ 150. Amazon claims that hosts set their own prices and schedules, without having to adhere to any set minimum or maximum prices. However, the company declined to detail any revenue sharing agreements.
At launch, many of the site experiences offered on the site are offered by local tour operators, although any company that has a tour idea is welcome to apply. Others that might host experiences include historians, artists, musicians, master craftsmen, chefs, personal shoppers, or anyone with a skill or adventure to share, Amazon says.
There are currently 86 total experiences available in 16 countries with plans to increase selection over time.
The feature is now being offered in public beta to users in the United States by invitation only.