Seeking to shake up online buying excitement in advance of the full onslaught of holiday shopping, Amazon.com is launching a get-out-the-vote campaign on its Web site.
The online retailer is giving consumers a chance to vote on which popular, heavily discounted item it should offer during a series of deals over the next four weeks.
Potential bargains announced on Thursday include a Microsoft XBox 360 Core System for $100 instead of $299.99 and Mattel’s 12 Dancing Princesses dolls for $10 each instead of $49.84.
Customers can vote once per week and after the voting period when the winning deal is announced, shoppers can click to purchase the item. But Amazon is limiting how many items are sold — 1,000 XBox 360s and 2,000 princesses, for example.
Jupiter Research analyst Patti Freeman Evans said the “doorbuster” tactic — in which retailers offer big deals, spurring shoppers to break down shop doors — was new for Amazon.
Besides the hope of spurring sales, Amazon will gain valuable input about consumer preferences and the level of interest in certain items can help plan future promotions, she said.
In one spirited online forum discussion, online poster Joseph King wondered if the contest simply came down to greed versus generosity.
“Do I want that XBox 360 for myself at a great price, or do I want to get Christmas gifts for five kids?” he pondered.
Based on responses, it looks like greed was winning.