Amazon Spark is an Instagram inspired shopping feed of stories and photos

Amazon has launched a new feature called Spark aimed at improving product discovery, which is seemingly inspired by Instagram and to an extent by Pinterest too.

The iOS only app is available in the "Programs & Features" tab on the app, where users can select five or more interests, such as "Books," "Recipes" and "TV Bingewatching" and then get a curated feed of products and pictures. Anytime one of those photos has a product that can be purchased through Amazon, a shopping bag icon will sit in the bottom right corner of the image. Click it and you'll be sent to the product's page.

If you choose to contribute your own content to Spark, you'll be considered an "Enthusiast" and will get a badge once you post or write a product review. Spark users can also comment on others' posts and give it a "smile" if they so choose -- the Spark version of a Like or Favorite.

According to TechCrunch, Amazon had been quietly testing Amazon Spark in beta for a few months. The goal of the new program is to shift some of the social activity around products taking place off-site back to Amazon, where product inspiration can translate directly into purchases with a click of a button.

The service is aimed at Amazon Prime members and available only in the US. Non-prime members can view the Spark feed, but can't post or comment.