Amazon Tests TikTok-Like Feed in App

Amazon joins other major technology companies such as

Meta Platforms Inc.

and Google parent

Alphabet Inc.

that have attempted to bump up engagement through short videos and an endless stream of content.

The portal being tested under the internal name “Inspire,” appears as a diamond widget on the home page of Amazon’s app, according to Israeli-based artificial intelligence firm Watchful Technologies Ltd., which has tracked the feature’s use. The widget brings shoppers to a feed that shows a stream of images and videos of products, with shoppers able to like, share and ultimately purchase items. While most of the feed now appears as still pictures, Watchful researchers said the portal also features video content.

An Amazon spokeswoman said the company is “constantly testing new features to help make customers’ lives a little easier.” Amazon often experiments with new products and services for employees before releasing them publicly. It is possible the company may alter the “Inspire” feature significantly before launching it to the public or not release it at all.

Amazon is the latest tech giant to try to capitalize on the sharp rise and popularity of TikTok, owned by Chinese company

ByteDance Ltd.

TikTok—which made its name with lighthearted videos of people dancing, but has grown to include large segments of groups discussing everything from books to international crises—was the most downloaded app of 2021. Roughly 67% of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 use the app, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, and TikTok’s top content producers can make millions each year. Charli D’Amelio, for example, who started posting videos of herself dancing on TikTok in 2019, made $17.5 million last year, according to Forbes.

Amazon’s Inspire “could become the kind of really sticky social media way to browse,” Watchful researcher Daniel Buchuk said. “It’s a way of adopting a new social experience on the app.”

Meta and Google have launched similar in-app features that closely resemble TikTok’s format. Meta in February launched its short-video product, “Reels,” for all global Facebook users after earlier introducing the feature in 2020. The company has competed with TikTok for young users, and company executives have pegged its future to video content, saying video now accounts for more than half the time users spend on Facebook and Instagram.

Google has also poured resources into short-form video. YouTube ranks as the most popular platform among U.S. teens, and more than 1.5 billion logged-in users watch YouTube “Shorts” a month, Google said in June. Shorts allow users to post videos of up to 60 seconds and are now prominently featured on YouTube’s main page on its website and app.

Amazon, too, has dabbled in social-media-like services.

The retailer posts live videos from creators on its website, who promote items available for purchase. It has attempted to court elite social-media users to its influencer program, which allows creators to build personalized pages on Amazon and earn money when followers make purchases through customized links.

The company hasn’t yet seen the success of its rivals, though it has tried to lure top creators in part by inviting them to Amazon-hosted retreats featuring resort-style amenities and pampering.

Write to Sebastian Herrera at [email protected]

Amazon joins other major technology companies such as

Meta Platforms Inc.

and Google parent

Alphabet Inc.

that have attempted to bump up engagement through short videos and an endless stream of content.

The portal being tested under the internal name “Inspire,” appears as a diamond widget on the home page of Amazon’s app, according to Israeli-based artificial intelligence firm Watchful Technologies Ltd., which has tracked the feature’s use. The widget brings shoppers to a feed that shows a stream of images and videos of products, with shoppers able to like, share and ultimately purchase items. While most of the feed now appears as still pictures, Watchful researchers said the portal also features video content.

An Amazon spokeswoman said the company is “constantly testing new features to help make customers’ lives a little easier.” Amazon often experiments with new products and services for employees before releasing them publicly. It is possible the company may alter the “Inspire” feature significantly before launching it to the public or not release it at all.

Amazon is the latest tech giant to try to capitalize on the sharp rise and popularity of TikTok, owned by Chinese company

ByteDance Ltd.

TikTok—which made its name with lighthearted videos of people dancing, but has grown to include large segments of groups discussing everything from books to international crises—was the most downloaded app of 2021. Roughly 67% of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 use the app, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, and TikTok’s top content producers can make millions each year. Charli D’Amelio, for example, who started posting videos of herself dancing on TikTok in 2019, made $17.5 million last year, according to Forbes.

Amazon’s Inspire “could become the kind of really sticky social media way to browse,” Watchful researcher Daniel Buchuk said. “It’s a way of adopting a new social experience on the app.”

Meta and Google have launched similar in-app features that closely resemble TikTok’s format. Meta in February launched its short-video product, “Reels,” for all global Facebook users after earlier introducing the feature in 2020. The company has competed with TikTok for young users, and company executives have pegged its future to video content, saying video now accounts for more than half the time users spend on Facebook and Instagram.

Google has also poured resources into short-form video. YouTube ranks as the most popular platform among U.S. teens, and more than 1.5 billion logged-in users watch YouTube “Shorts” a month, Google said in June. Shorts allow users to post videos of up to 60 seconds and are now prominently featured on YouTube’s main page on its website and app.

Amazon, too, has dabbled in social-media-like services.

The retailer posts live videos from creators on its website, who promote items available for purchase. It has attempted to court elite social-media users to its influencer program, which allows creators to build personalized pages on Amazon and earn money when followers make purchases through customized links.

The company hasn’t yet seen the success of its rivals, though it has tried to lure top creators in part by inviting them to Amazon-hosted retreats featuring resort-style amenities and pampering.

Write to Sebastian Herrera at [email protected]