Instinct's Unasked-For Product Picks Are Rubbing Users the Wrong Way

Instinct is learning a lesson that many platforms have run into before: people don't always want to be sold to, even politely.

The company has begun rolling out product and travel recommendations that it says are curated by humans rather than generated by an algorithm. The idea is to give users useful suggestions, from gear to destinations, inside an app they already use. But the feature is reaching some people without any request on their part, and a portion of the user base is pushing back.

The complaints center on consent more than quality. Users say the suggestions appear unprompted, and that they see them as a commercial layer added to a product they chose for other reasons. Some describe the feeling as "the ick," a sense that a tool they trusted has started nudging them toward purchases.

The human-curated pitch is meant to set Instinct apart from the usual recommendation engines, which tend to draw criticism for being repetitive, manipulative or simply wrong. Having real people pick the products and trips could make the results feel more trustworthy. Yet that advantage may not matter if users feel the recommendations were switched on for them rather than offered.

The reaction points to a wider tension in consumer tech. Companies are under pressure to find new revenue beyond their core features, and shopping and travel recommendations are an obvious route, since they can be tied to affiliate links or partnerships. Users, meanwhile, have grown wary of any feature that blurs the line between helpful advice and advertising, especially when they can't easily tell who benefits.

For Instinct, the practical fix is fairly simple. An opt-in toggle, clear labeling of anything sponsored, and an easy way to turn the feature off would address most of the objections being raised. Whether the company moves in that direction will likely shape how the rollout is remembered. A recommendations feature that people choose to use can build loyalty. One they feel forced to tolerate risks driving away the very users it is meant to delight.

The company has framed the launch as a way to add value, and it is still early in the rollout. How Instinct responds to the feedback will show whether it treats the backlash as noise or as a signal about where users draw the line.