After 2 Years, Amazon Spark Is No More

Back in 2017, when Amazon Spark was first announced, I posed the question in an original article “Will [Amazon Spark] shoot to the top and be major competition with Pinterest and Instagram or will it be a flop like Google+?”

And it looks like we got our answer earlier this week.

According to TechCrunch, after only two years, Amazon Spark, the app that was meant to compete with Instagram and really highlight influencer marketing, has shut down. 

To be honest, I was not surprised.

Why Did Amazon Spark Fail?

When I first wrote about  the launch of Amazon Spark, I spent plenty of time on the app, researching the features, and even setting up my own profile,  but that was the last I ever heard of it.

I didn’t receive ANY messages or notifications about logging back in or reminding me to continue to use it.

I forgot it even existed until I heard the news that it was shutting down, which says a lot about Amazon’s focus on this aspect of its platform.

It seems that Amazon launched the Spark feature and then forgot to market it or make sure people were actually using it.

Overall, the design and UX of the app wasn’t bad, it was very easy to scroll through and linked directly to the featured products for easy purchasing; The big issue was that no one really knew about it.

Most people I asked who had Amazon Prime accounts never even heard of Spark. It seems the big failing point of this was the lack of awareness among Amazon members and casual users.

What Happens Next?

Since TechCrunch first shared that the app was shutting down, Amazon has commented, saying “Spark is not gone entirely, we've pivoted and narrowed the experience based on what resonated with customers – shoppable images and collections in fashion and home decor.”

The company has since changed the Spark URL to the #FoundItOnAmazon page, which allows users to discover new products, similar to the Interesting Finds feature.

Though the company has said Spark’s not entirely gone, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is slowly phased out and its URL redirected to the Interesting Finds page.

Lessons Learned

If you can take away anything from Amazon Spark it’s to make sure that you have a solid plan and marketing strategy in place before launching a new product or service.

Even companies as large and influential as Amazon can get it wrong.

If you need another example, think of Google+. Amazon didn't seem to have everything mapped out for how it could grow this initiative and get influencers onto the app. It also seems that Amazon struggled to get its members involved with the feature.

So take Amazon’s mistake as a valuable lesson. It’s important to think through everything, including where you want to be two years from now and how you will get there before you go public with your next product or service.