Omakase is a Japanese word meaning 'leave it up to us'. It is commonly used in Japanese restaurants for a meal where the chef uses their experience and knowledge to select and prepare the meal for a customer without specific directions.
And with the beta launch of Amazon.com's new contextual ad service, Omakase takes on a new meaning.
DId you just say, Amazon.com and contextual ad service in the same breath?
Yes... yes, I did.
If you are an Amazon associate already, simply login to your account and click BUILD LINKS to be presented with the new Omakase link options.
Essentially, you place javascript code on your site according to the block siizes and color scheme you choose, and Amazon will attempt to deliver products that would seem to be a good fit for your audience.
Like AdSense, you can select from a variety of banner sizes, includiing 728 x 90, 300 x 250, 120 x 600, 468 x 60, and a few others.
You can choose to show the Amazon logo or just an Amazon text link, and you may choose whether or not to display product images.
Want to show marketplace prices along with Amazon prices? You can.
And then you can tweak the border, background, text, link, price and Amazon.com text colors to suit your needs.
How do you get paid?
Unlike AdSense and YPN, you get paid when someone clicks through your link and purchases a product. Commissions are paid the same as any Amazon associate links you would place on your site.
So will site publishers use Omakase?
I think it will be worth testing, especially if you have a site that lends itself to shopping, or to a niche such as music or books.
Whether Omakase links end up paying better than the other contextual ad services remains to be seen.
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