Amazon’s AI ‘Interests’ Feature: A New Way to Target Influencer Campaigns

Amazon has just given influencers and brands something new to buzz about. On March 26, 2025, Amazon announced on X (formerly Twitter) a beta AI-powered shopping feature called “Interests.” It’s an AI tool designed to match products to users’ hobbies and passions in real time. In other words, Amazon’s AI will now work “around the clock” to find products that match each shopper’s personal interests – an exciting development not just for consumers, but also for influencer marketers looking to reach the perfect audience-product fit.

What is Amazon’s AI “Interests” Feature?

Interests is Amazon’s latest foray into AI-driven shopping personalization. The company introduced it as a feature that “transforms how you discover and shop for products related to your passions” by continuously scanning Amazon’s vast catalog for new items you might love. Think of it as a smart personal shopper that never sleeps: once it knows what you’re into, it keeps hunting for relevant new products, deals, or restocks and lets you know when it finds something noteworthy.

This feature was officially rolled out in beta to a small subset of U.S. customers via the Amazon mobile app’s “Me” tab”. If you’re in the test group, you’ll see an “Interests” button there, and tapping it lets you set up custom prompts. Amazon plans to expand Interests to all U.S. shoppers in the coming months. For now it’s a mobile-first experience (on iOS, Android, and the mobile web) that represents Amazon’s latest move to make shopping more convenient and fun.

Some quick facts about Amazon’s Interests feature:

• Announced: March 26, 2025 (via Amazon’s official News account on X).
• What it does: Uses AI to match products with users’ hobbies, interests, and needs in a personalized way.
• How to access: Currently visible to a small group of U.S. customers in the Amazon Shopping app (under the “Me” tab as Interests), with broader rollout expected soon.
• Goal: Make product discovery effortless by proactively alerting users to new or relevant items they might want, based on their described interests.
• Why it matters: It’s part of Amazon’s push to enhance shopping via generative AI – and it could be a game-changer for how influencers and brands reach their target shoppers.

In short, Interests is like a personalized feed of product recommendations, tailored to whatever you’re passionate about – whether that’s gourmet cooking, retro gaming, hiking gear, high-end fashion, or anything in between.

How Does “Interests” Work?

Amazon’s Interests feature is powered by generative AI and large language models under the hood. Here’s how it works step by step:

Amazon’s Interests AI feature uses a simple flow: shoppers describe their passions or needs in everyday language, and Amazon’s AI goes to work finding matching products (flowchart). Once a user types in a shopping prompt describing what they’re interested in, Amazon’s AI automatically translates that everyday language into precise search queries and product attributes that Amazon’s systems can understand. This is done using large language models (LLMs), so the AI can handle natural, conversational descriptions instead of just keywords.

For example, a user might say “I’m looking for the latest pickleball gear and accessories” or “Natural makeup products for a summer glow from top brands.” The Interests AI will parse that request and continuously scan Amazon’s new listings and updates for items that fit the description. It’s constantly checking new inventory in Amazon’s store and will proactively notify the user when it finds something that matches their criteria – be it a brand-new product launch, a restock of a popular item, or a price drop on something related to their interest.

This goes beyond a one-time search. Interests is an ongoing, auto-piloted search. After you create an Interest prompt, you don’t need to keep searching for that topic each time you shop; the AI is persistently “watching out” for you. Users can create multiple prompts covering different interests, set filters like price range or specific features, and update these prompts anytime. When a match is found, users receive a notification or can check the “Interests” section in the app to see a curated list of new finds waiting for them.

Notably, Amazon is starting small with this feature – only a select group of users have it as of now. Those who do can find it by tapping “Your Interests” in the app. Amazon’s VP of Personalization, Daniel Lloyd, explained that with Interests, shoppers can use natural sentences to describe what they want (e.g. “Model building kits and accessories for hobbyist engineers and designers” or “Brewing tools and gadgets for coffee lovers”) and let the AI handle the rest. It’s like setting a shopping assistant on autopilot for your wish list. Amazon’s goal here is to make the shopping experience more curated and relevant, saving users from having to constantly hunt for the latest in their favorite categories.

From a technical perspective, this is a big step in Amazon’s use of AI in retail. “Interests” uses AI to bridge the gap between how people naturally talk about products and how search engines find them. That means if you describe a need in your own words, Amazon’s AI can figure out the equivalent search query (or combination of queries) to fetch the right products. The feature then delivers these personalized recommendations right to the user’s feed or notifications, rather than making the user do the work of searching and filtering every time. In Amazon’s own words, Interests “continuously [scans] Amazon’s store and [notifies] you about newly available and relevant products, restocks, and deals” aligned with your request.

For everyday shoppers, this is a convenience boost. But for influencers and marketers, it opens up a new avenue: if your content or product recommendation aligns with a user’s Interest prompt, there’s a greater chance that product will be put in front of that user by Amazon itself. Here’s why that’s a big deal.

Why Influencers Should Care

If you’re an influencer or brand marketer, Amazon’s Interests could become a powerful ally for your campaigns. In a world where relevance is king, this feature means that when you promote a product that genuinely fits your audience’s hobbies or needs, Amazon’s AI might independently reinforce your efforts by showing that product to interested shoppers. It’s almost like having Amazon’s algorithm boost your influencer posts for the exact people who care about that topic.

To put it in context, influencer marketing is huge and still growing – U.S. influencer marketing spend is on track to top $10 billion in 2025. Brands are investing heavily in creators to get their products in front of engaged communities. Amazon’s Interests feature adds another layer of targeting to this equation by leveraging first-party shopping intent data (what people say they want) and turning it into product matches. This could significantly amplify the impact of influencer campaigns, especially for products sold on Amazon.

Why is this feature a potential game-changer for influencer campaigns? A few reasons:

• Ultra-Targeted Product Discovery: Influencers often focus on niches – whether it’s fitness, photography, home decor, or tech gadgets. Now Amazon is actively surfacing products in those niches to users who have expressed interest. If an influencer promotes a new DSLR camera and a user’s Interest is “photography gear,” that camera might pop up in the user’s Amazon recommendations feed shortly after the influencer’s post, doubling the touchpoints with that audience.

• Always-On Recommendations: Even when an influencer isn’t actively posting, Amazon’s AI is still working. Your followers might be notified of cool new items in the category you often talk about, keeping them engaged with the product category. This “always-on” aspect can reinforce an influencer’s message over time without additional effort from the creator.

• Shorter Path from Inspiration to Purchase: Influencer content often serves as inspiration, prompting fans to consider a product. With Interests, the moment a fan is inspired (“That camping gadget looks useful!”), they could immediately see it or a similar item suggested on Amazon, making it easier to go from inspiration to purchase. This seamless hand-off can lift conversion rates, as users get a timely nudge to buy the product that caught their eye.

• Data-Driven Content Strategy: The topics and phrases users input as Interests can hint at trending hobbies or needs. While influencers can’t see this data directly, savvy creators might infer popular interests from what’s being recommended or stocked on Amazon. This can inform content strategy – for example, if “vintage 90s fashion” emerges as a hot interest area (as evidenced by a wave of new product recommendations on Amazon), a fashion influencer can jump on that trend, knowing Amazon’s algorithm is fueling it too.

• Stronger Brand Partnerships: Brands selling on Amazon will love any feature that drives discovery. If you as an influencer can say, “Not only will I promote your product, but Amazon’s own AI could further recommend it to the exact people who care,” that’s a compelling pitch. It means influencer campaigns might have an afterlife on Amazon’s platform, extending the ROI for the brand.
  

Above: A hypothetical bar chart illustrating the potential boost in key campaign metrics when influencers align their content with Amazon’s Interests feature (e.g., increased audience reach, engagement, and conversion rates). Early marketing expert predictions suggest that tapping into interest-based discovery could amplify an influencer campaign’s effectiveness noticeably. While hard data is still forthcoming (the feature is brand new), many marketers anticipate improved outcomes. The more relevant the product is to the consumer’s declared interest, the more likely they are to engage with it – meaning higher click-through rates on affiliate links, more conversions, and ultimately more sales generated via influencer content.

In essence, Amazon’s Interests could act like a matchmaking service between influencer-promoted products and the consumers who are actively looking for them. This kind of algorithmic alignment can make influencer marketing more efficient. Rather than casting a wide net and hoping the right people see it, the right people are explicitly telling Amazon what they want, and Amazon is delivering it to them. For influencers, that’s a welcome development: it means if you truly understand your niche audience, Amazon is going to help deliver your recommendations to those who care most.

Of course, it’s early days. As of now, only some customers have access to Interests, and it’s U.S.-only in beta. But we can already imagine the ripple effects. Social platforms use algorithms to match content to users; Amazon is doing something analogous with shopping. As these worlds collide, the line between social media discovery and e-commerce discovery blurs. Influencers who adapt to this will likely have an edge.

Tips to Align Your Content with “Interests”

How can influencers make the most of Amazon’s new AI tool? Here are some practical tips to ensure your content and campaigns ride the wave of the Interests feature:

1. Speak Your Audience’s Language: 

When creating content, use the same kind of natural, descriptive language that a fan might use to set up an Interest. For example, phrase your product recommendations in everyday terms (“a cozy cottagecore lamp under $50”) so that Amazon’s AI might categorize it similarly to a user’s prompt. Remember, the AI translates everyday language into search queries – so lean into that kind of wording.

2. Time Your Content with New Releases: 

Since Interests notifies users about newly available products, try to align your campaigns with product launch timing. If you’re partnering with a brand launching on Amazon, coordinate your posts so that when the product goes live (and Interests starts pinging users about it), your audience has already heard your authentic review or demo.

3. Leverage Amazon’s Affiliate Tools: 

If you’re part of the Amazon Influencer or Associate program, make sure to use your Amazon storefront and affiliate links for the products you feature. That way, when Amazon’s AI drives a user to a product you recommended, you’ll get credit for the conversion. It also helps Amazon track that influencers are creating interest in certain items.

4. Encourage Followers to Use Interests: 

Don’t shy away from telling your audience about this feature! For instance, an influencer might say, “If you love the recipes I share, try setting up an Interest in Amazon’s app for ‘gourmet cooking tools’ – you’ll get updates when cool new kitchen gadgets drop.” This not only helps your followers stay updated, but also increases the chance they’ll see the products you talk about, keeping your recommendations top-of-mind.

These strategies can help you synch up your influencer strategy with Amazon’s AI-driven product discovery. The key is to maintain authenticity – don’t force products that don’t actually fit your niche – but when there is a fit, make it count by maximizing visibility through the tools available.

Conclusion to Amazon’s AI ‘Interests’ Feature: A New Way to Target Influencer Campaigns

Amazon’s Interests feature is an early glimpse into how AI might reshape the relationship between social influence and shopping. It’s not hard to imagine a near future where the content you see on social media and the suggestions you get on shopping platforms coalesce into one seamless experience. A follower sees your travel vlog about camping in a remote national park, and next time they open Amazon, their Interests feed has a new sleeping bag or water purifier recommendation waiting for them. This kind of synergy could dramatically shorten the journey from inspiration to purchase, benefiting creators, brands, and consumers alike.

For influencers, the takeaway is clear: stay adaptive and tech-savvy. As platforms like Amazon deploy AI to make shopping more personalized, those who create content that is relevant and timely will reap the rewards. It’s a chance to augment your creative storytelling with Amazon’s data-driven recommendations, effectively letting the platform’s AI amplify your voice.

From Amazon’s perspective, if Interests succeeds in engaging users, we might see it expand beyond the U.S., and possibly integrate with other services (imagine Interests for Amazon international sites, or even tie-ins with Twitch streams or live influencer events on Amazon Live). The company has hinted it will “continue to look for ways to enhance our shopping experience” for convenience and enjoyment – so more AI features could be on the horizon.

In summary, Amazon’s AI “Interests” is more than just a shopping tool – it’s a signal of where influencer marketing and e-commerce could converge. It offers a new, AI-powered way to target and tailor influencer campaigns, aligning product discovery with individual passion points. It’s early, it’s experimental, but it’s full of promise. Savvy influencers and marketers will watch this space closely and be ready to pounce on opportunities it creates. The next time you’re strategizing a campaign, consider asking not just “What products do I want to showcase?” but also “What Interests will my audience likely have on Amazon, and how can I become a trusted voice in that space?” Those who answer that well may find themselves at the forefront of the next evolution in influencer marketing – one where AI and authenticity together drive amazing results.