Staff Writer
Amazon.com Inc. has asked influencers to produce hundreds of videos apiece in an effort to improve its TikTok-like shopping stream. However, its $25 per person offer—roughly a tenth of the current rate—was widely ridiculed on social media.
Selected influencers received an email from Amazon requesting them to submit films showcasing two or more products. According to screenshots of the message shared on social media, the e-commerce giant stated it would pay up to $12,500 per artist in exchange for a maximum of 500 movies that satisfy the company’s requirements. The program will be capped at 35,000 films, or the value of $875,000, according to Amazon.
Amazon chose not to respond.
Inspire, a TikTok-like feed of images and videos advertising goods that can be purchased on Amazon’s website, was introduced by the company last December. Instead of forcing consumers to look for specific things, the idea is to enable them browse and discover products by chance, like they do on social networking sites.
For many years, Amazon’s primary method of luring customers was through free customer reviews. More advertising has been added to the website, primarily in the form of paid inclusion in Google-like search results.
In order to maintain consumer interest, Amazon’s foray into social commerce needs a constant stream of new videos and products. The company’s TikTok-like initiative has received a range of responses. Amazon now appears committed to making Inspire, well, more inspirational.
The timing is significant because TikTok has just expanded its own e-commerce capabilities into significant markets including the US and the UK. Customers may now make purchases through posts and livestreams, and the app, which is owned by ByteDance Ltd., is also expanding its own fulfillment business, according to Bloomberg. The app anticipates selling $20 billion worth of goods on its platform this year, and it has been actively recruiting staff with retail experience to help it combine its social media success with online shopping.
Amazon faces a hurdle in producing material that can rival TikTok, which has been engaging in this type of activity for years. Although creators are eligible for commissions if their work results in sales, a person familiar with the situation said that paying $25 per video may not be sufficient.
According to Brands Meet Creators, an industry consulting company, while costs vary depending on a variety of variables, including an influencer’s following, creators typically charge $212 for the kind of content Amazon is looking for.
Jazmine Flores, a makeup artist and developer of beauty material, told Bloomberg that she normally costs $300 for each image or video. Flores claims that she has never, at most five times, been asked for 500 tapes at once. “I don’t think everyone has 500 Amazon items sitting in their homes,” she wrote in an email.
As a mother of two who homeschools, she spends a lot of time producing, writing, modeling, acting, and doing her own hair and makeup because she works in the beauty/skincare industry.
