Amazon has shuttered its Instagram-inspired shopping feed, Amazon Spark, according to TechCrunch.
Amazon launched Amazon Spark in 2017 as one of its first forays into social media. The photo-focused feed was meant to direct users to products available for sale on Amazon.com. Anyone could scroll through the content, but only Prime members could post as “Enthusiasts,” at least initially. The posts often read like product reviews but were designed to draw users in with engaging photos.
If this is the first you’re learning of Amazon Spark, you’re not alone.
Am I the only person who is just hearing about the existence of Spark on the day of it's shutdown? https://t.co/V6opDDeqAv
— Scott Kupor (@skupor) June 15, 2019
TechCrunch reported that Amazon has a new “social inspired product” called #FoundItOnAmazon that is similar to another product discovery page called Interesting Finds.
Update: Here’s a statement from an Amazon spokesperson:
“Spark is not gone entirely, we’ve pivoted and narrowed the experience based on what resonated with customers – shoppable images and collections in fashion and home decor. We’ve changed the name to #FoundItOnAmazon to reflect the tag that influencers are using on social media to share their great finds with others. #FoundItOnAmazon is currently available to all Amazon App customers and a large portion of desktop customers as well.”
TechCrunch reporter also noted that Chee Chew, a veteran Seattle-area tech leader, was Spark’s “primary stakeholder.” Chew left Amazon earlier this year to be the chief product officer at Twilio.
Instagram, meanwhile, has aggressively rolled out shopping-related features and integrations over the past year.
Earlier this week, GeekWire reported about Amazon shutting down another business: meal delivery service Amazon Restaurants.
