Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) is hoping to muscle in on the TikTok-dominated social e-commerce scene by paying online influencers to use its Inspire in-app shopping feed.
However, Amazon’s pitch of US$25 per video has been met with derision by influencers, who typically get hundreds of dollars to make similar content on TikTok.
Responses to Aamzon’s X post promoting the incentive were roundly dismissive of the idea.
Amazon is offering creators up to $12,500 to upload shoppable videos!!If you didn’t catch the last incentive, now is your time! #amazoninfluencer pic.twitter.com/8xQo0sswTY
— Kyndhal I UGC Creator I Amazon Influencer & Mentor (@KyndhalUGC) August 16, 2023
Launched last December, Amazon Inspire aims to emulate the TikTok experience of offering a feed of photos and videos tailored to user interests, with the added feature of direct product purchases from Amazon's platform.
Amazon has emailed selected influencers, proposing they produce videos showcasing two or more products. The company is willing to pay up to US$12,500 for a maximum of 500 videos from each creator.
The move comes as TikTok seeks to broaden its e-commerce capabilities in major markets like the US and UK.
According to Bloomberg, Bytedance-owned TikTok is even building out its own fulfillment centres as the group seeks to sell up to US$20 billion in merchandise per year.
Beauty influencer Jazmine Flores told Bloomberg she usually charges US$300 per video, while industry consulting firm Brands Meet Creators said the average rate for what Amazon is looking for is upwards of US$212.