Amazon Tests TikTok-Inspired Shopping Feed

pcmag.com:

Amazon is reportedly testing a TikTok-esque feed that shows shoppers product photos and videos they can share with others.

The beta feature is currently available for a handful of internal employees, according to The Wall Street Journal(Opens in a new window), which cited Israeli AI product intelligence firm Watchful Technologies.

Dubbed "Inspire," the portal is housed behind a diamond-shaped icon at the bottom of the Amazon app's homepage. Tap to open a vertical stream of videos and images of items you can like, share, and, of course, purchase.

Inspire may not hit your phone any time soon. In a statement to the Journal, Amazon would only say it's "constantly testing new features to help make customers' lives a little easier." It's possible the function will change before launching publicly—if it even reaches a wider audience at all.

Cloning TikTok's popular format—used by 67% of 13-to-17-year-olds, a recent Pew Research Center survey said—is nothing new. Social media apps like Facebook and Instagram have been replicating its short-form video success for years, attempting to grow engagement with more moving pictures.

And while Amazon already hosts live promotional videos, runs a program for creators to earn money through affiliate links, and invites top influencers to retreats, the Journal notes, it has yet to reach the same level of social media success of most of its rivals. The TikTok #AmazonFinds(Opens in a new window) hashtag, however, does have 25.6 billion views.

Amazon did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

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