Amazon confirmed that its Inspire feature is ‘no longer available.’
In a move that signals a shift in its social commerce strategy, Amazon has officially discontinued Inspire, the TikTok-style shopping feed it introduced in 2022. Originally designed to offer a dynamic, engaging shopping experience, Inspire featured short-form videos and images showcasing various products, allowing users to seamlessly browse and purchase items directly within the Amazon app. However, as first reported by TechCrunch, the feature is no longer available.
Why Did Amazon Scrap Inspire?
Amazon’s decision to shut down Inspire comes as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to refine its customer experience. According to a statement provided to Amazon spokesperson Maxine Tagay, the company “regularly evaluate[s] various features to better align with what customers tell us matters most, and as part of that, Inspire is no longer available.”
The decision suggests that Inspire failed to gain the traction Amazon had anticipated, despite its similarities to TikTok’s highly successful shopping model. TikTok’s e-commerce features have thrived in markets like China, prompting platforms like YouTube to integrate shopping tools into Shorts in 2022. Amazon’s attempt to replicate this success in the U.S. market, however, appears to have fallen short.
What Was Inspire and How Did It Work?
Inspire was introduced as an immersive shopping experience within Amazon’s mobile app, providing a visually driven, endless-scroll feed of curated product recommendations. The content spanned various categories, including home décor, beauty, fashion, and pet supplies, among others. Much like TikTok, Inspire allowed users to engage with videos and images, offering a more interactive way to explore and purchase products.
However, despite its promising concept, Inspire struggled to resonate with both shoppers and content creators. One major stumbling block was Amazon’s payment structure for influencers and content creators. According to Bloomberg, the company offered just $25 per Inspire video—significantly lower than industry standards. Creators, who are accustomed to higher payouts on other platforms, found little incentive to contribute, ultimately leading to a lack of high-quality content on the platform.
The Rise and Fall of Social Shopping on Amazon
Amazon has made several attempts to integrate social commerce into its platform, recognizing the growing influence of social media in consumer purchasing decisions. Inspire was one such experiment, but Amazon continues to offer other discovery-focused shopping features. These include Shop by Interest, which allows users to browse through a feed of shoppable videos, and AI-powered shopping guides that provide personalized recommendations.
Despite the failure of Inspire, Amazon remains committed to enhancing the social shopping experience. Tagay noted in her statement, “Beyond Amazon, we know that customers look for inspiration and product recommendations in social feeds, and we’re innovating to make shopping Amazon products more enjoyable through seamless social media integrations.” This suggests that while Inspire may be gone, Amazon is not abandoning its efforts to blend e-commerce with social media.
What’s Next for Amazon’s Social Shopping Strategy?
Amazon’s decision to retire Inspire does not necessarily indicate a retreat from social commerce altogether. Instead, it highlights the challenges of competing in a space dominated by platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, where short-form video content thrives. The company will likely continue to explore new ways to integrate product discovery into users’ online experiences, leveraging social media and AI-driven recommendations to enhance engagement.
For now, Amazon shoppers will have to rely on more traditional discovery tools, such as customer reviews, influencer recommendations, and curated shopping lists. Whether Amazon will take another shot at a TikTok-style feed in the future remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the intersection of social media and e-commerce is here to stay, and Amazon is keen to remain a major player in this evolving landscape.
Final Thoughts
The discontinuation of Inspire serves as a reminder that even the biggest tech giants don’t always get it right. While Amazon’s attempt to mimic TikTok’s shopping experience may not have succeeded, its broader strategy of integrating social commerce remains intact. As shopping habits continue to evolve, Amazon will undoubtedly continue experimenting with new features to capture the attention—and wallets—of online shoppers.
For now, Inspire has been relegated to the archives of Amazon’s many experiments, but it’s only a matter of time before the e-commerce giant unveils its next innovation in the ever-changing world of digital shopping.
