Amazon is shutting down Inspire, a short TikTok-like video and photo feed that was previously available on its mobile app. The feed allowed users to find products and make purchases based on content created by influencers, brands, and other customers.
A company spokesperson confirmed the move to TechCrunch, saying: “We regularly evaluate various features to better align with what customers feel is most important, and as part of that, Inspire will no longer be available.”
This is an interesting time to shut down a feature that was almost a mirror image of TikTok, especially as the ByteDance-owned platform faces uncertainty in the US. Inspire could have served as an alternative for American shoppers looking for product reviews from TikTokers.
However, Amazon is making inroads into other social channels, reducing the need for its own short video feature. For example, in November 2023, the company partnered with Instagram to facilitate shopping on its retail website directly on the Meta app. Around the same time, it also teamed up with Snap to allow users to buy its products from social ads.
Inspire was launched in 2022 amidst the gradual growth of social commerce.
However, the feature sparked controversy in August 2023 when Amazon tried to attract authors to it by inviting individual influencers to submit videos. The company offered $12,500 for a maximum of 500 videos or $25 for each eligible video. However, many authors felt that this compensation was too low.
Another possible reason for Inspire’s closure is that not enough authors were publishing content because they could earn more income on other platforms.
Although a company representative did not explain the reasons for the closure, they pointed to other ways that Amazon customers can still draw inspiration, including Amazon’s author storefronts, curated collections, and more.
They also mentioned new AI features, such as the shopping assistant Rufus, which was launched last year.
“Outside of Amazon, we know that customers look to social media for inspiration and product recommendations, and we’re innovating to make shopping for Amazon products more enjoyable through seamless integration with social media,” the spokesperson added.
In particular, Amazon is testing a new feature that redirects customers to other brands’ websites if they are looking for a product that is not available on Amazon.
