Amazon and Apple Maintain Special Arrangement on Product Pages, Insider Reports
In a recent report by Insider, it has been revealed that Amazon provides special treatment to Apple’s product pages by keeping them free from unrelated ads. This suggests that there is an arrangement between the two tech giants. This comes in light of the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, where it accused the e-commerce giant of deliberately increasing junk ads that negatively impact search quality.
Insider’s investigation found that Apple’s product pages, such as those for the iPhone and iPad, have a clean layout with no ads or recommendations. On the other hand, rival brands like Samsung Galaxy and Microsoft Surface display multiple banner ads and sponsored recommendations from other brands.
To verify these findings, Insider conducted its own experiment and confirmed that Apple’s product pages do indeed appear cleaner. However, Microsoft Surface Pro’s page showcased a carousel of sponsored listings with “4 stars and above,” along with related products and multiple banner ads.
According to an email shared by the House Judiciary Committee, Apple had requested Amazon to keep its product pages free from ad clutter back in 2018. Jeff Wilke, who was then Amazon’s retail CEO, reportedly wrote in the email that Apple did not want to drive sales to competing brands through search or detail pages.
Apple has acknowledged that it has an agreement with Amazon preventing other companies from purchasing ads for specific Apple-related brand queries on the marketplace. However, they can still buy ads for key phrases containing an Apple name, such as “iPad keyboard case.” Apple’s representative stated that the goal of the agreement was to create the best possible customer experience and address counterfeit product issues on Amazon’s platform.
While it remains unclear whether any financial transactions occurred between the two companies, the email shared by the House mentioned a potential financial deal. Initially, Amazon declined Apple’s request, but Wilke expressed in the email that if Apple wanted its products to appear prominently in search results, they would need to purchase placements or compensate Amazon for lost ad revenue.