Just when you thought Amazon had peaked in terms of serviceability, they’ve outdone themselves again. How, you ask, can the one-stop shop for everything surpass its current model? Well, in a nutshell, with the Amazon Inspire feature. An upgrade designed to enable brands to showcase their products and captivate customers through curated personalised content and brand stories.
At the launch of Inspire, Amazon Shopping Director Oliver Messenger released a statement announcing, ‘Inspire is our new shopping experience that connects Amazon customers with shoppable content created by other customers, the latest influencers, and a wide range of brands. In just a few taps, customers can discover new products or get inspiration on what to buy, all tailored to their interests, and then shop for those items on Amazon.’
But what does that actually mean? This new feature is like a shopping/social media love child using a TikTok-like feed of short-form videos and images to suggest products based on the user's interests. Essentially, Inspire allows brands to directly target and market to consumers in order to increase sales.
If, like me, you’re still pretty clueless about Amazon’s latest feature, fear not. Here’s a breakdown of how it works in practice, enriches customers’ experience, and why it could be useful for your brand.
Light bulb moment
Upon opening the Amazon.com app, customers must tap the Inspire light bulb icon to access the Inspire feature. Users will then be prompted to select their interests from a selection of 20, including makeup, interior design, travel, pets, plants and running, to personalise their Inspire feed.
Aside from piggybacking on TikTok’s incredibly addictive, short-form video interface, Inspire is also cherry-picking the best of other social media, including Instagram’s focus on photos and ‘liking’ items with a red heart.
When customers spot something they covet and want to see in more detail, the buttons at the bottom of the window provide a link to navigate to the product on Amazon.
The more you scroll and engage, the more personalised and customised your feed will be, as the feature tracks your interactions, curating products uniquely tailored to your preferences.
Who inspires Inspire?
Content can be created by users, influencers, and vendors or sellers enrolled in Brand Registry with an active Brand Store. A catch-all to encourage engagement and build content from all sectors of the Amazon ecosphere.
According to Amazon, originators include:
- ‘Customers: You can inspire your fellow customers by submitting a product review, which may appear in Inspire.’
- ‘Amazon Influencers: If you’re enrolled in the Amazon Influencer Program, photos and videos posted to your Amazon Influencer storefront are eligible to appear in Inspire.’
- ‘Brands: If you’re a vendor or seller enrolled in Brand Registry with an active Brand Store, the qualifying photos you post to Brand Posts are eligible to appear in Inspire.’
How can Inspire serve your brand?
Akin to Brand Story, Inspire provides another platform for brands to stand out from the competition, an opportunity to celebrate their ethos and history, and proudly showcase their USPs; crucially, it deepens the brand’s connection with customers, lending authenticity to the consumer's experience.
Top brand benefits include:
- Increasing brand awareness
- Increasing conversion rates by building meaningful relationships with consumers
- Customers can purchase products directly from their personalised Inspire feed.
Think outside of the box
Your average customer may be browsing through their smart device, but that doesn’t mean your brand’s inventiveness and creativity must also be boxed in. Inspire offers a unique opportunity to showcase your product features, use cases, and benefits through dynamic, visually arresting images, videos, and customer reviews.
Build trust and credibility
Aside from the usual marketing must-haves like images and video, Inspire also enables your brand to build trust by offering customers informational resources and guides related to the products – a move guaranteed to leapfrog your brand ahead of the competition.
Gimme, gimme, gimme
Raring to get your hands on this fancy new feature? Inspire is a free upgrade on the pre-existing Amazon shopping app, currently only available to U.S. customers. However, it will be rolling out more broadly in 2023. Stay tuned.
Get in touch
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If you’re a brand in search of some inspiration, get in touch with our eCommerce Nurse team. Comprised of ex-Amazonians and Amazon experts, we’re on hand to help ensure your products and brand get all the innovation they need.
