correction
A previous version of this article did not include a response from Amazon Style about claims that customer reviews on its site have been manipulated. A response has been added. In addition, a previous version incorrectly said that Amazon Storefront surpassed its competitors as the predominant affiliate link program in relation to its reach with influencers. It became a must-join affiliate link program among influencers. The article has been corrected.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — What if the world looked like all those sponsored ads you see all the time? Thumbs-up, Shop now, or I’m not interested in this ad?
Too late, we’re already here, on a drizzly Friday morning in a sleek shopping mall dressing room accented with touch screens. Along with the outfits I’ve picked out for myself at the Amazon Style store in Columbus — the brand’s second in-person clothing store in the country — an algorithm had selected a few items of clothing it thought I might like, all placed in the room by unseen hands via a double-sided closet. Sponsored content (“sponcon,” if you will) has taken over the physical realm.
