Amazon Anywhere changes the definition of in-app purchases
If you like the adventure and fantasy of Pokémon Go and love the bond created with virtual dogs in Nintendogs, you might be a fan of Peridot. This game allows players to take care of mystical pets in augmented reality.
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But there's a unique in-app purchasing aspect to Peridot that differs from traditional in-app purchasing models. Peridot players will have access to Amazon Anywhere, a "new landscape for shoppable entertainment and digital experiences while continuing to meet our customers where they are, with the products they love," according to Amazon.
Traditionally, in-app purchases are limited to digital products like currencies or game upgrades. But with Amazon Anywhere, users can buy physical products without leaving the app. In Peridot, you can buy branded t-shirts, phone accessories, throw pillows, and hoodies.
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You'll see product photos, availability, price, and estimated delivery like you would when buying a product on Amazon. You must link your Amazon account to the game, and then you can start buying within the Peridot app.
Amazon aims to extend Amazon Anywhere to other mobile apps, virtual worlds, and video games. But now, the feature is only available in Peridot, which you can download on iOS and Android.
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Amazon Anywhere is Amazon's venture into a more integrated shopping experience. In US apps, when someone sees an ad for a product they want to purchase, they have to leave the app to buy the product.
But companies have always been interested in being the middleman between their app and your purchases, which is why you are redirected to a retailer's site from inside that app's web browser. But Amazon is venturing into connecting in-app purchases through Amazon, while other apps are trying to ramp up their live shopping features.