Amazon replaces its TikTok-like Inspire feature with the AI chatbot Rufus.

Amazon has decided to close its TikTok-style social shopping feature known as Inspire and will replace it with Rufus, an AI-powered shopping chatbot. Recently, it was reported that Amazon users received a message indicating that the Inspire feed was no longer available. Additionally, the lightbulb icon that allowed access to Inspire from the main screen of the Amazon app has also disappeared.

Kevin King, founder of the newsletter Billion Dollar Sellers, shared a screenshot of the message on LinkedIn that stated, "Thank you for using Amazon Inspire to discover and purchase new products on Amazon. Please note that Inspire is no longer available in the Amazon shopping app." This feature, which launched in 2023, offered an endless scroll of videos and photos of products for sale, shared by content creators and customers, which showcased the use of the products and provided testimonials.

Inspire was especially valuable for content creators and influencers, who earned commissions when users purchased products after viewing their content, as part of Amazon’s Influencer Program. A spokesperson for the company mentioned that they regularly assess different features to better align with what customers find most important, which led to the decision to discontinue Inspire. Although the reasoning behind the shutdown was not detailed, it can be inferred that it failed to match the performance of TikTok’s Discover page in terms of sales conversion and influencer attraction.

As Inspire is phased out, Amazon is redirecting customers to other product recommendation alternatives, like Rufus. This AI-based shopping assistant answers questions to help users quickly find the products that best suit their needs. For example, a customer might ask about the "best gifts for gamers," and Rufus would recommend items such as headphones, mice, chairs, and consoles, while also requesting more information about the person's favorite genres or games.

Amazon's decision to shut down Inspire coincides with the legal controversies surrounding TikTok, which was recently restored on the App Store and Google Play in the U.S. following a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi assuring that they would not face penalties related to the ban. TikTok was removed from both platforms in early January due to a law that prohibited the app unless ByteDance sold it to a U.S. company.

While the disappearance of Inspire may complicate income opportunities for influencers on the platform, it is worth noting that Amazon Live, its live streaming and live shopping feature, remains active, which could mitigate the challenges.