Amazon Spark: What It Is, Why It Makes Sense, and What It Means for Marketers

Jeff Bezos is taking the challenge of social selling into his own hands. Amazon has debuted an Instagram-like social discovery and selling feature called Amazon Spark, which it’s been testing in beta for months, according to TechCrunch.

“Amazon Spark is a place to discover things from people who share your interests,” the marketplace behemoth writes on its website. “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.”

Amazon already has an abundance of customer data and Spark only adds to this insight. When people open Spark by visiting the “programs and features” section in the app, they’re prompted to indicate at least five areas of interest from about 100 categories, such as books, style and fashion, fitness, kids and parenting, and music. Customers are then prompted to create a profile name, which will appear alongside their posts, comments, and product reviews. Although Amazon acknowledges that people’s posts, comments, and interests are all public, it also says that customers’ purchase and browsing history will remain private.

Once people complete these steps, Amazon’s algorithm will serve them content and products that pertain to their interests in their Spark feed. They can also check out different topic categories through the “Explore” feature and opt in to notifications. Plus, people can keep track of their Spark activity, like comments or “smiles” (the equivalent of a like) via the “Your Activity” section.

If people want to create their own content, they can tap the plus icon in the upper right-hand corner of their feed and share a thought, photo, recently purchased Amazon product, link, or poll — which compares Amazon products side by side and allows people to vote for their favorite, leave comments, and examine each product in a more in-depth way.

Spark can currently be accessed via the Amazon app for iPhone only. While Amazon encourages all customers to view the content posted on Spark, it currently allows only Prime members to contribute.

Prime members make up Amazon’s most loyal customer base. According to a May 2017 survey by financial services organization Cowen and Company — reported by eMarketer — Prime members comprised 61% of total Amazon purchasers in the study’s most recently analyzed quarter. What’s more, U.S. Amazon Prime members place, on average, 3.5 orders per month versus 2.2 orders per month for non-Prime members, eMarketer writes about the study.

The launch of Spark makes sense considering Amazon’s recent trajectory.

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