A couple of days ago, Amazon rolled out a pretty significant update in the user experience of the Amazon Seller app. Its pretty different from what it was when I first posted about the app, and even is pretty different from the update they did last year.
Highlight of Changes
I covered all the changes in another post, so I’ll just highlight the changes that I feel are the most impactful here. Namely, the menu bar on the right.
Amazon essentially took a bunch of functionality out of the menu bar. Specifically, if you want to jump to your inventory or sell a product, you now have an additional tap. I am big on minimizing taps, clicks, or other “interactions” on my devices. I want efficiency and speed, and ever tap can result in another pause to load the next screen.
Why the Menu Bar Matters
The key here, at least for me, is that I have a workflow where I leverage the menu bar and the back button pretty heavily. You see, with the old Amazon Seller App, I could go into my inventory, and jump to the “sell a product” screen to see where my competitors are. Its an additional step, but it has become second nature to me, because, I just don’t trust the minimal information provided on the inventory screen, with respect to buy box and pricing. Have a look at my workflow:
First I start in the inventory screen of a product:
Then I’ll select and copy the ASIN:
Then I’ll open the menu bar and jump to “Product Search”
Then I’ll paste in the ASIN, and search:
From here I get all the information I need:
Then, when I have the information I need, I just hit the “Back” arrow 2-3 times and I’m back at the inventory page for the specific product I was researching. All told, I can go through this process in seconds.
Conclusion
I think there’s value in continuing to improve applications. The Amazon Seller App has steadily improved over time, but I fail to see the value of removing key functionality from the menu bar. I’ve used the workflow that I’ve described above, to manage my business from anywhere in the world; whether its at 31,000 feet, touring Sydney Harbour, or lounging by the pool at the Playa Conchal.
What do you think of the app changes; are there workflows that you used to use that are now less efficient?
I don’t use a lot of functions on my phone, but removing features, or shortcuts to them, can only be negative. I hate it when companies release these “enhancements” that are almost never beneficial to the end user. Do they even do usability studies or are they picking items to cut from a hat?
Just noticed that the Ipad app still has the inventory on the menu, the change was just on the iphone app. Not sure about Android apps.
Could screen size be a factor in their decision?
Interesting; I see the new one on my iPhone7Plus, but the old one on my iPhone6.
Now the longer menu is back on my Iphone6!!!!!
Strange times we live in.
I did notice that – maybe Amazon listened!