Do you ever want Amazon, but more…TikTok?
No?
Well, too bad: Inspire is here to stay.
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Inspired, which Amazon has been testing since at least August, is a TikTok-y feed of videos and photos that all revolve around products it sells. According to Amazon, the feed will involve posts from partnered influencers, brands, and other customers.
Users who want to see Inspire posts will be asked to select what kinds of ecommerce topics they’re interested in, from makeup and gaming to pets and travel and decor. Once they’re on the Inspire feed, they can like posts à la TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and…basically every other social media site on earth. The point is to make it feel like basically any other social media site, except this one has the exclusive purpose of trying to sell you stuff.
As you probably expect, each Inspire post will show product details and have links to the product’s Amazon page. Amazon also says that after users’ initial interest selections, Inspire will learn more about their preferences and adjust itself to what they like.
(It should be noted this Inspire is completely unrelated to the original Amazon Inspire, a program debuted in 2016 that functioned as a “free search, discovery and distribution of digital educational resources” for teachers and students. That effort fizzled in 2018.)
“We invent every day to make shopping easy and fun,” Oliver Messenger, Amazon’s Shopping director, said in a statement. “In just a few taps, customers can discover new products or get inspiration on what to buy, all tailored to their interests, and then shop for those items on Amazon.”
Amazon has already partnered with some influencers to start making content for Inspire, including “lifestyle, home & planning” blogger Mae Badiyan and decor enthusiast Practically Pursia. Per TechCrunch, they and other involved creators will be able to earn money from Amazon’s Influencer Program if their Inspire posts generate sales.
