Juphy’s Weekly E-Commerce News Express – 17-21 February 2025
Ceyda Duz
The e-commerce and AI landscape is evolving fast, with key shifts shaping how brands sell online. Amazon is shutting down Inspire, signaling a new social commerce strategy, while a FedEx report reveals how convenience drives consumer decisions. Plus, we’re covering the latest product updates and partnerships featuring Joor, Sprout Social, Swap, and Signifyd. Let’s explore what these changes mean for brands and retailers looking to stay ahead.
Amazon Phases Out Inspire: Rethinking Social Commerce
Amazon has officially pulled the plug on Inspire, its TikTok-style shopping feature that showcased shoppable short-form videos and photos within its app. The move comes just 14 months after its launch in December 2022, signaling a shift in Amazon’s approach to social commerce.
Why Amazon’s Social Commerce Efforts Keep Falling Short
Over the years, Amazon has made multiple attempts to integrate social shopping elements into its platform. From Amazon Spark and Posts to Amazon Live, each initiative struggled to gain meaningful traction. Inspire was Amazon’s boldest effort yet, aiming to replicate the success of TikTok’s shopping model. However, despite financial incentives to attract creators, the feature failed to generate the organic engagement needed for sustainable growth.
One key challenge Amazon faced was its platform’s core function: users visit Amazon with purchase intent rather than for social discovery. Unlike TikTok, where trends emerge organically through community-driven content, Inspire felt more like a digital shopping mall than an interactive social experience.
A New Strategy: Meeting Shoppers Where They Are
Amazon’s decision to shutter Inspire suggests a broader strategic pivot. Instead of attempting to drive social interactions within its ecosystem, the company is now focusing on external partnerships with major social platforms. In recent months, Amazon has expanded integrations with Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok, allowing users to browse and purchase Amazon products directly from their feeds.
This shift acknowledges a key reality: social commerce flourishes in environments where users naturally seek inspiration. Rather than forcing engagement within its app, Amazon is now leveraging social platforms that already capture consumers’ attention.
What This Means for Brands
For brands selling on Amazon, the focus should now be on optimizing their presence on external social channels while ensuring seamless conversion on Amazon. This means investing in compelling content on platforms where audiences are already engaged while leveraging Amazon’s robust fulfillment and checkout infrastructure.
Additionally, Amazon is investing in AI-driven shopping experiences, such as its new assistant, Rufus, and features like Shop by Interest and visual search. These tools suggest that while Amazon is stepping away from engineered social engagement, it remains committed to improving product discovery through personalization and automation.
Future Trends and Amazon’s Next Moves
Amazon’s exit from in-app social commerce highlights an evolving e-commerce landscape where discovery and conversion are increasingly happening in separate spaces. By prioritizing partnerships with social platforms, Amazon is positioning itself as the final step in the purchasing journey rather than the starting point. For brands, success will depend on a well-balanced strategy—meeting customers where they browse and ensuring a frictionless buying experience when they’re ready to purchase.
FedEx Report Highlights the Impact of Convenience on E-Commerce Success
A new report from FedEx reveals a striking statistic: 97% of consumers have abandoned a purchase due to an inconvenient shopping experience. The 2025 FedEx E-Commerce Trends to Watch Report, developed in collaboration with C Space, underscores the growing importance of seamless digital transactions in shaping consumer behavior.
Convenience as a Competitive Advantage
Online shoppers increasingly expect frictionless experiences. The report highlights that key expectations include home delivery (81%), free shipping (76%), and real-time tracking (68%). Complex return policies also deter repeat purchases, reinforcing the need for hassle-free post-purchase processes. Retailers that prioritize convenience, transparency, and fast shipping will gain a strong competitive advantage in the e-commerce landscape.
Generational Shopping Trends and Evolving Consumer Habits
The report also examines generational differences in e-commerce behavior:
- Gen Z leads in digital engagement, with 70% of shopping interactions occurring online. Social media plays a major role, with 51% discovering new products on TikTok and 40% on Instagram.
- Millennials prioritize ethical considerations, with 81% factoring in employee treatment when making purchases. They also favor direct-to-consumer purchases, with 27% preferring brand-owned websites.
- Boomers continue to lean toward traditional retail, with 53% still favoring in-store shopping experiences.
Another notable shift is the changing holiday shopping landscape. The report found that 22% of consumers start holiday shopping as early as August, and by 2026, 30% plan to shop for winter gifts throughout the year. This trend suggests opportunities for brands to maintain year-round engagement through early-bird discounts and exclusive offers.
Key Takeaways for E-Commerce Brands
As online shopping evolves, businesses must adapt by optimizing checkout processes, streamlining returns, and leveraging social commerce for brand discovery. With convenience being a major deciding factor, brands that eliminate friction points and enhance customer experience will be best positioned for long-term success.
Joor New Discovery Tool for Wholesale Connections
Wholesale platform Joor has launched Joor Discover, a new feature designed to connect fashion brands with the right retail partners more efficiently. By utilizing proprietary data and its extensive network of verified retailers, the tool helps brands refine their search and identify ideal business matches. With advanced filtering options, Joor Discover simplifies the wholesale expansion process, making it easier for brands to find retailers that align with their market and growth strategy.
Sprout Social’s Revamped Influencer Marketing Platform
Sprout Social has introduced Sprout Social Influencer Marketing, a rebranded version of its influencer marketing platform, previously known as Tagger Media. The updated platform leverages AI-driven insights and advanced analytics to help brands find the right influencers, foster genuine collaborations, and optimize campaign results. With an emphasis on efficiency and precision, Sprout Social aims to streamline the influencer marketing process for businesses looking to enhance their social media impact.
Swap & Signifyd Team Up to Simplify Global E-Commerce
E-commerce platform Swap has joined forces with fraud prevention provider Signifyd to help brands expand globally with greater efficiency and security. Through this partnership, merchants can streamline cross-border logistics and compliance while leveraging Signifyd’s AI-powered fraud detection to safeguard transactions. By approving more legitimate purchases and reducing fraudulent activity, the collaboration aims to enhance both operational ease and checkout conversion for online retailers.
Optimizing Social Commerce & Convenience with Juphy AI
As Amazon shifts its strategy away from in-app social commerce and FedEx highlights the impact of convenience on e-commerce success, one thing is clear—brands need to meet customers where they are while ensuring a seamless shopping experience.
Juphy AI helps Shopify merchants stay ahead by:
- Engaging Customers Across Social Channels – Juphy’s AI Agent seamlessly integrates with social media platforms, enabling instant responses and personalized recommendations right where customers interact.
- Streamlining Customer Support & Sales – With real-time automation, Juphy AI eliminates friction in the shopping journey, reducing abandoned carts and boosting conversions.
- Enhancing Post-Purchase Experience – From automated order tracking updates to easy return inquiries, Juphy ensures a hassle-free experience that keeps customers coming back.
As e-commerce moves towards AI-driven personalization and omnichannel engagement, Juphy AI empowers brands to optimize both discovery and conversion—delivering convenience where it matters most.
Try Juphy AI today and turn engagement into sales effortlessly: apps.shopify.com/juphy
Key Takeaways
Amazon Phases Out Inspire: Amazon has shut down Inspire, its TikTok-style shopping feature, just 14 months after launch. The move reflects Amazon’s struggle to integrate social commerce, as previous attempts like Amazon Spark, Posts, and Amazon Live also failed to gain traction. Unlike TikTok, where shopping is driven by organic engagement, Amazon’s platform is built for purchase intent rather than discovery.
FedEx Reports Impact of Convenience: A new FedEx e-commerce report reveals that 97% of consumers abandon purchases due to inconvenience. The study highlights key expectations, including free shipping (76%), home delivery (81%), and real-time tracking (68%). Complicated return policies also deter repeat purchases, emphasizing the importance of frictionless post-purchase experiences.
Joor’s New Discovery Tool: Joor Discover is revolutionizing wholesale partnerships by connecting fashion brands with the right retailers more efficiently. The platform leverages proprietary data and advanced filtering to match brands with ideal business partners, simplifying the wholesale expansion process. By refining the retailer search, Joor enables fashion businesses to scale faster and enter new markets strategically.
Sprout Social’s Influencer Marketing Platform: Sprout Social has rebranded Tagger Media into Sprout Social Influencer Marketing, integrating AI-driven insights and advanced analytics to improve influencer collaborations. The platform helps brands identify the right creators, measure campaign performance, and maximize social media impact.
Swap & Signifyd Partnership: E-commerce platform Swap has partnered with Signifyd to enhance global expansion and fraud prevention. The collaboration streamlines cross-border logistics, compliance, and secure transactions, ensuring merchants can approve legitimate purchases while reducing fraud risks.
