Amazon Spark's Product-Pushing Photo Feed Eliminates Social Media, Advertising Middlemen

With the rise of Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL’s YouTube and Facebook Inc FB’s Instagram, economic decisions have become a lot more social.

Consumers are exposed to the product interests and sentiment of their peers and, consciously or not, adjust their shopping habits. The phenomenon has been dubbed the “Snapchat Effect.”

Inspired by the social nature of product promotion and discovery, Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN launched Amazon Spark on its mobile app Thursday to capitalize on painstakingly artistic product placement.

“Amazon Spark is a place to discover things from people who share your interests,” the site reads. “Whether you’re looking for inspiration for home décor or seeking advice for the best long-distance running shoes, Spark makes it easy to discover — and shop — stories and ideas from a community that likes what you like.”

With an Instagram-like feed interface and Pinterest-like personalization, the feature allows users to tap products tagged in the image and purchase them on Amazon. It also promotes a more interactive exchange of consumer reviews through comment capabilities and “smiles,” reactions akin to Facebook’s Like button.

Like Pinterest, consumers are onboarded through the selection of interests, ranging from merchandise like books and technology to specialty categories like humor and DIY. Amazon then customizes the user’s Spark feed, which populates with photos either overtly marketing a product or more subtly positioning it within the context of a scene.

A shopping bag button in the corner of each photo indicates how many elements can be purchased through Amazon’s site, and clicking the icon takes the consumer to relevant listing pages.

The platform brings photos and ensuing discussions of products one step closer to the virtual market, eliminating the middlemen of both social media and advertisers.

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