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Amazon reportedly developing global product database for shoppers’ research
Amazon is reportedly developing a database called the World Product Graph that would gather information on products sold online, including items Amazon does not sell. The project could keep shoppers within Amazon for product research and reviews, while strengthening its AI shopping assistant and potentially making Amazon’s data useful to rival shopping agents.
An internal document reviewed by Reuters says Amazon has asked Coca-Cola, Bayer and other manufacturers to provide product information. The document gives 1 October 2027 as an aspirational release date, but Reuters says it is unclear whether or when the database will launch. Amazon said the draft document was outdated and did not necessarily reflect its current plans.
In short
- Amazon is reportedly building a database of online products, including those it does not sell.
- Manufacturers including Coca-Cola and Bayer have reportedly been asked to contribute data.
- A 2027 date is described as aspirational; Amazon says the document may be outdated.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A comprehensive product database could make it easier for shoppers to compare goods, find reliable specifications and research items beyond Amazon’s own catalogue. If it also supports AI shopping tools and is made available to other agents, it could improve product discovery across online retail and help manufacturers present consistent information.
The case against
A database built by Amazon could draw shoppers’ research and attention deeper into a platform that also sells products, raising concerns about how neutral comparisons and reviews would be. Gathering detailed information about goods sold elsewhere could strengthen Amazon’s competitive position, while manufacturers and rival retailers may have limited control over how their data is used or presented.
Explained simply
Amazon sells products through its own shop and through independent sellers, and it also offers tools that help people find and compare items. A product database brings details such as names, features and reviews together so shoppers or software can search across many goods.
The reported project is called the World Product Graph, and Amazon has asked companies including Coca-Cola and Bayer to supply information about their products. Amazon says the document describing the project is outdated and may not reflect its current plans; whether the database will be launched is unclear.
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Originally published by Engadget as “Amazon is reportedly working on a database for ‘virtually every item for sale on Earth’”.