The latest spin-off service to be introduced by Amazon was unveiled earlier this week. Aimed at appealing to the Instagram generation, Spark combines images with e-commerce in an intriguing and potentially lucrative mix, according to the Daily Mail.

The idea behind this pseudo-social network is that users will be able to share pictures of products they have purchased, enabling others to seek them out and then buy them via safe shopping online.

This is not an entirely separate service, but rather one which is integrated with Amazon’s existing site. It is rolling out in North America first, but will eventually come to the UK, as its global launch commences.

Spark has earned comparisons not only to Instagram, but also to social sharing platform, Pinterest, which of course has made major leaps in recent years to introduce e-commerce features. Since Amazon already has a vast infrastructure for safe shopping online in place, it should be better equipped to provide consumers with what they need.

The types of pictures which are presented to users will depend on the preferences they choose when setting up Spark. The categories cover everything from health and beauty to electronics and entertainment, so it should be suitable for all customers irrespective of their tastes.

This level of personalisation is something that Amazon has been pursuing across its various platforms for several years, since shoppers have regularly proven themselves to be fans of a bespoke e-commerce experience.

Spark taps into the growing trend for image-focused social media services, with Instagram being one of the fastest growing platforms at the moment. Pictures are also far more likely to generate engagement from other users than text alone, which is why they are particularly ripe to be harnessed in a setting where a sale is on the cards.