Amazon Tests REMOVING Ratings/Reviews in Search

We all use Amazon. Some of us happily, some of us begrudgingly. It’s there, it’s convenient, it’s usually cheap, and generally reliable. And if we’re ever unsure of a product, we can check out the reviews to see what our peers think of it. Heck, part of the reason reviews are as present as they are online is because of Amazon and their emphasis (they also own IMDb and Goodreads, other silos of internet reviews).

But what if I told you Amazon was testing out TAKING AWAY that data?

Okay, they don’t plan on taking away the reviews totally, just in the search. But seeing star ratings after you search is the first level of filtering, is it not?

Here’s what you normally see:

Not just the total count of ratings, but a full breakdown with percentages where you can directly jump to any star rating you choose!

Here’s what’s being tested:

Just a count of how many have been bought in the past month. Sure, you can click through to the product page and see what’s what there. But that’s a click you wouldn’t normally need. Normally you could see “Oh, this has 14 reviews, this must be a new seller, potentially lower quality.” Now you need to spend more of your time finding a product worth your money.

An Amazon spokesperson told Fortune that this change is “so customers can quickly and easily browse a range of product options.”

Are you buying what they’re selling?