I found an article this morning that informed me that Amazon was granted a patent (in December) for a process called “Anticipatory Shipping.” My immediate suspicion was that this was more of Amazon’s extensive use of Big Data and I was right. They (Amazon) have gathered so much data on shopping habits that they can predict with great accuracy just when you will succumb to their tailored advertising and order from them. So much so that they will probably shortly be implementing the new process in their logistic system. No longer will they wait until your credit card has cleared to initiate shipping of the product you just bought. Instead, at some predetermined interval, Amazon will ship the goods from their central hubs to a location much nearer your address, if not all the way to your local UPS facility. I knew this was coming. I have seen the embryonic form of it at the Kindle store. They know my reading habits so well they tantalize me with new books just as I’m finishing my current one. They know when I’m close to the finish and hit me when I’m vulnerable. All I have to do is make “one click” and my new read is on its way. Its only a matter of time ’til they close that loop without me. http://t.co/HFALzag5NY
