Amazon Spark Shuts Down, the Online Retailer's Shopping Social Network

Amazon Spark, a shopping social network that could be thought to essentially be a competitor to Instagram, has shut down less than two years since after its launch in July 2017.

Spark was focused on users posting images, stories and ideas about products and purchases and was originally launched only for Amazon Prime members. Other users could then react with 'smiles' and comments, the CNET reported on Friday. Amazon Spark was launched in India in December last year.

Even as it was Instagram's competitor, Spark was primarily focused on shopping and sales. "Whether you're looking for inspiration for home décor or seeking advice for the best long-distance running shoes, Spark makes it easy to discover -- and shop -- stories and ideas from a community that likes what you like," Amazon said in its introduction to the service in 2017.

While it tried to mock the Instagram aesthetic at times with fashion inspiration images or highly posed travel photos, it lacked the photo sharing app's broader appeal. Your friends weren't there and there weren't any Instagram Stories, for example. Everything felt too transactional, according to TechCrunch.

"Amazon declined to comment on the apparent shutdown of Spark but the service is gone from the website and app," the TechCrunch report added.

Written with inputs from IANS