Amazon Enters Social Media

Imagine an Instagram feed inside Amazon. That’s the essence of Amazon Posts, which have gained steam since their beta launch in summer 2020.

Here’s how they work.

• Posts are free. That is huge for smaller brands, who oftentimes cannot afford enough paid Amazon advertising to make an impact.
• Posts are only visible in the US, on Amazon’s mobile website and app.
• Consumers can sign up to follow your brand and see your posts.
• Brands must submit their posts to Amazon for approval. The company uses an automated process, which inevitably has some idiosyncrasies. (Pro Tip: don’t use the word “hump” in any context.)
• Companies have no influence on where their posts appear. They could show up in your brand’s feed, or in competitive brand or related category feeds.
• There is no guarantee that a competitor’s post won’t show up on your product page.

Amazon Posts are capitalizing on consumers’ growing interest in social shopping. 54% of Americans have purchased an item they initially saw on social media. What better way to leverage that trend than with social posts embedded in an ecommerce site?

Sources: CNBC 2021, Forbes 2021, Jungle Scout 2021