Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is reportedly testing a new feed on its app that permits customers to browse through photos and videos that resemble those that can be found on the social media platform of TikTok. This Amazon feature, known as "Inspire," permits consumers to like, save, and share posts of various items. It also permits them to buy products straight from the feed.
An Israeli artificial intelligence based product platform, Watchful Technologies, has tracked the activity of this particular feature, and has reported that it is not yet ready to launch to the general public. According to Alyssa Bronikowski, an Amazon spokesperson, Amazon is "constantly testing new features to help make customers' lives a little easier."
According to Daniel Buchuk, researcher at Watchful Technologies, this current feature from Amazon primarily displays photos, but if the feature is finalized, Amazon will likely include videos in order to make the material more engaging for consumers.
Various sources also report that Amazon's version of and relation to TikTok is not entirely random or coincidental. Amazon item recommendations are well-known on the TikTok social platform. Evidence of this can be found through the "#amazonfinds" tag, which has 25.6 billion views. Certain Amazon influencers have been able to gain millions of followers simply by discovering engaging Amazon items to suggest to their followers. Such influencers will be able to obtain a commission if their audience utilizes their affiliate links.
Many other platforms, such as Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Facebook (NASDAQ: META), have been prominent when it comes to adapting to similar ways as TikTok. Both of these platforms have asserted their own agendas in terms of increasing the total amount of income that they make. Services such as these compare with YouTube's "Shorts" feature, which contains video clips that are restricted to a minute or less. Facebook is also providing its own version of TikTok, known as "Reels," which now runs on all versions of Meta platforms, including Instagram.