Amazon has discontinued its “Inspire” feed, a TikTok-inspired platform for product discovery within its mobile app. This social feature allowed users to engage with influencers, brands, and customers while browsing products.
The closure comes amidst industry uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future in the United States. Inspire could have potentially filled the gap for American shoppers seeking product recommendations from content creators.
However, Amazon’s partnerships with Instagram and Snap have expanded its social commerce reach, reducing the necessity for a dedicated short-video platform.
Inspire’s launch coincided with the growing popularity of social commerce in 2022. However, its controversies included low creator compensation, which hindered content generation.
Despite the shutdown, Amazon remains committed to providing shopping inspiration to customers. They offer creator storefronts and curated collections, alongside AI-powered assistants like Rufus.
Additionally, they are exploring new features, such as redirecting shoppers to other brands’ websites for unavailable products.
Amazon continues to pursue seamless social media integrations to enhance the shopping experience on its platform.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
