JOHN CURLEY AND SHARI ELLIKER

Amazon has a plan to predict your future purchases

Jan 21, 2014, 1:01 PM | Updated: 1:31 pm

Amazon has filed a patent on technology that could predict what you would shop for and send it to y...

Amazon has filed a patent on technology that could predict what you would shop for and send it to you without you ordering it. (AP Photo/File)

(AP Photo/File)

What if you didn’t need to order something from Amazon, they just sensed you wanted it and shipped it to you?

That’s the premise behind a new patent filed by the Seattle-based tech company. According to the patent, Amazon plans to use the technology that would put something on a truck and have it “speculatively shipped to a physical address.”

There are two ways Amazon might use speculative shipping. The first, if a particular product is being ordered, wished for, or even hovered over with a mouse for a prolonged period of time in a part of the country, say Snohomish, that popular item would be shipped to a nearby Amazon facility in order to increase the speed of shipments.

With Amazon’s other plan, they might see what you’re ordering and send you a companion piece: If you bought a suit, they might send you a tie that would match the suit’s color.

According to John Curley, this plan of Amazon’s is a lot like a tactic he knows as “puppy-dogging.”

In a pre-Internet world, puppy-dogging would occur when a salesperson came around to an office and said, ‘Hey, we’re not selling this copier/fax/scanner/other-now-seemingly-outdated technology to you, we just want you to try it out.’ But then when the salesperson returns to get the equipment back a month or two later, the office is hooked and buys the equipment anyway.

John compared the salesperson scenario to letting a family take care of a puppy for a month before taking it back. And as you start to carry the puppy away from the family, you turn so the puppy dog face looks back towards the family so they can see.

“Amazon is doing the puppy-dog,” said Curley.

The details after you get the tie you didn’t actually order are still a little hazy. You could return it, pay for it, or keep it, which could be seen as a goodwill gesture from Amazon.

“This is all in the land of speculation,” said Tom. But much like Amazon’s drone, it holds the potential to drastically change how you shop.

John Curley and Shari Elliker on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
  • listen to tom and curleyTune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 3pm for John Curley and Shari Elliker.

John Curley and Shari Elliker

John Curley and Shari Elliker

Photo: Scott Fitzsimmons' "I-1THIS" license plate....

KIRO Newsradio staff

‘I didn’t even feel it’: John Curley shares astonishing story of local winner

The "I-1THIS" license plate is more than creative, it comes with a story of triumph. John Curley told the story who won the winning plate.

12 days ago

seattle nightmare tenant...

Frank Sumrall

Seattle homeowner’s ‘nightmare tenant’ situation resolved one year later

A Seattle homeowner's "nightmare tenant" situation, causing him to live in a van instead of his home for a stretch of time, has finally been resolved one year later.

13 days ago

curley dancing naked...

John Curley

John Curley’s life advice: Start your day by dancing naked to Andrea Bocelli

This has been a part of my regular morning routine for some time now: getting up in the morning and dancing naked every day.

14 days ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Let’s Talk About Eagles

John and Shari discuss the hatch watch for a bald Eagle named Jackie as she sits on her eggs. Then, the conversation goes in a different direction about snakes eating eggs and eagles eating cats. You want to listen to this one! Listen to the John Curley and Shari Elliker Show every weekday at 3pm […]

20 days ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: Bradley Cooper Walks Around His House Naked

Apparently, Bradley Cooper walks around his house naked a lot. The John and Shari Show talks about their experiences growing up with their parents. Listen to the John Curley and Shari Elliker Show every weekday at 3pm on KIRO Newsraio 97.3 FM Listen to KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM or go to MyNorthwest.com to learn more! […]

26 days ago

...

MyNorthwest Video

Video: The Naked Man Festival Is No More

If you had travelling to Japan for the annual Naked Men Festival on your bucket list… we have some bad news. After more than 1000 years, the festival has been permanently canceled. Listen to the John Curley and Shari Elliker Show every weekday at 3pm on KIRO Newsraio 97.3 FM Listen to KIRO Newsradio 97.3 […]

1 month ago

Amazon has a plan to predict your future purchases