Thanks, Amazon!

The Internet has been unequivocally good for certain kinds of people. Graphic designers who can’t draw. Producers and consumers of witty remarks about celebrity outfits. Oddballs with ridiculous ideas for stores that only sell one thing at a time. And manufacturers whose products aren’t the fanciest or cheapest or most well-known, but are really good nonetheless.

Like this Trym II rechargeable hair clipper you’ve never heard of. Aside maybe from its “Patrick Bateman’s condo” styling, there’s no reason it would stand out from the multitude of other clippers you encounter every day. It’s not the cheapest. It’s not the fanciest. It doesn’t have the biggest marketing budget or the best name (in either the “brand equity” sense or the “good name for a product” sense).

But with Amazon reviews like that, who needs 'em? Before the Internet, you would have had no way of knowing that almost 3,500 purchasers give the Trym II an average rating of 4.1 stars out of 5. Thanks to the Internet - and specifically, Amazon - now you do.

Think about that. More than three thousand testimonials, gathered in one place, to this one weird little clipper. We don’t know if the Trym people solicited customers to write reviews. But if they did, they’re geniuses. Because according to this study of Amazon reviews more than half of all ratings are five stars. Of the remaining reviews, four-star ratings are the most common.

The data is clear: if you want good Amazon reviews, more than half the battle is getting people to write reviews at all. (Feel free to mine 11GB of Amazon reviews for your own insights.)

The funny thing is, seeing how this sausage is made doesn’t make it any less tasty. Amazon reviews remain the best way to find that sweet-spot product, the one that balances universal appeal with a decent price. That means the Trym II crew can sell their shaver on its merits. That means you can find it, find out about it, and be reasonably sure that unless the Trym II manufacturers have very large families, the crowd’s opinion is probably more or less valid.

Say what you will about Amazon. We’ve said it all ourselves. But this veritable Library of Alexandria of consumer opinion they’ve assembled is amazing. It’s unprecedented in human history. We can each know, individually, the total of what every consumer knows, collectively. If a product is terrible, no marketing budget can overcome thousands of bad reviews. And if a product catches on with a few people, that word of “mouth” can spread, quickly. We should all be grateful to Amazon for providing this public service. Thanks, Amazon!

Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re obligated to pay Amazon prices. Thanks, Internet!