Amazon has officially discontinued its ‚Inspire‘ feature, a TikTok-style feed designed for product discovery within its mobile app. This feature allowed users to explore products through short-form videos and photos created by influencers, brands, and other customers.
The decision comes as Amazon evaluates its offerings to better meet customer needs. Despite the potential for ‚Inspire‘ to serve as an alternative platform for product reviews, particularly as TikTok faces regulatory challenges in the U.S., Amazon’s partnerships with other social media platforms have reduced the necessity for its own feature.
In November 2023, Amazon collaborated with Instagram to facilitate direct shopping from its retail site within the app. Additionally, a partnership with Snap allowed users to purchase products through social ads. Launched in 2022, ‚Inspire‘ aimed to capitalize on the growing trend of social commerce.
Controversy arose in August 2023 when Amazon offered financial incentives to attract creators to the platform. Many influencers criticized the compensation, claiming it was insufficient compared to earnings on other platforms. The lack of content from creators may have contributed to the feature’s discontinuation.
Amazon has emphasized that customers can still find inspiration through other means, such as creator storefronts and curated collections. The company also highlighted its new AI shopping assistant, Rufus, which debuted last year. Furthermore, Amazon is testing a feature that redirects users to other brands‘ websites if they search for products not available on its platform.
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