Amazon UK review

Frances Edwards

We review Amazon UK, an intuitive shopping experience for the iPhone

Published on Nov 9, 2009

The title says it all really, doesn't it? Amazon has finally brought the UK version of its long running US app to the iTunes store and it is a wonderful example of how to redesign a complex website into a clean and intuitive mobile user experience.

All the elements of the full Amazon store are featured with more than 40 product categories, 1-Click ordering, reviews, wish lists, payment and delivery options (including gift wrapping), order history, Prime membership benefits and recommendations.

Interestingly, the app has also gone a step further to introduce 'Amazon Remembers', an experimental tool which allows the iPhone camera to be used to create a visual list of things you want to remember whilst out and about. These uploads are synchronised between your app and your account on the full site and Amazon will even try and match the product you snapped. If it is successful you'll get an email alert showing you where to buy it.

Too good to be true? Not really. While Amazon Remembers certainly isn't fool proof it will get obvious items correct and can sometimes be useful in helping you haggle down prices from the shop you're in! Operation is fast too with loading times minimal thanks to a clutter free layout while purchases complete reliably even in areas of poor signal.

In fact, if there is a criticism to be had of the app it is that the design is too conscious it is on a mobile phone. The iPhone browser in itself makes an excellent job of displaying full web pages and the Amazon mobile app at times seems to forget that placing too little information on each page and requiring numerous taps to surf between basics such as a product listing and its description. Dear Amazon, it is ok to let us scroll up and down a page sometimes.

That said, this is an extremely superficial quibble all in all and it stands head and shoulders above the vast majority on dedicated mobile shopping apps. Of course it helps that Amazon is such a vast, one-stop-shop for so many items, but in my mind that diversity presents more potential potholes than for specialist stores. Rivals take note.