Amazon said on Friday that invited US customers can search for products and buy them by text message through Alexa for Shopping, its AI shopping assistant.
The feature goes out first to a small group of invited customers in the United States, with a broader launch to follow.
Customers who opt in get a contact named “Alexa Shopping” in their phone and text their requests to it. The agent can research and compare products, follow deals and price drops, and complete purchases on the shopper's behalf.
Now with Alexa for Shopping, your personal shopping agent is just a text away
What the agent can do
Shoppers can send a photo of a recipe, an outfit or a piece of clothing and ask for similar options, or ask for those items to be put in a cart. The agent also reorders things bought before, updates grocery lists, checks on packages and gives delivery updates.
A weekly grocery order can be set up with standing preferences attached, such as organic options or a keto diet. Amazon says the agent buys with the customer's approval, or on its own once a price falls to a target the customer has set.
A May launch and a new place for ads
Launched in May, Alexa for Shopping got an upgrade last month that widened its features. Shoppers can create lists, ask about subscriptions and benefits, manage those subscriptions, change delivery instructions and get answers on billing and payment.
Amazon says ads could be included in its text thread, with sponsored products mixed into the choices its agent shares. Advertisers aren't being charged for those placements yet.
Purchases the agent completes on its own carry no advertising, according to Digiday.
Rivals build their own shopping agents
Meta, OpenAI and DoorDash are pushing tools that shop, track prices and buy for a customer. Among the agents doing that work are Meta's Muse and Google's Universal Cart; Meta said US users can chat with and call Muse through a dedicated app.
Last month, OpenAI introduced text messaging for its personal agent, Dot. DoorDash started accepting orders through text in September. Third-party agents had generated only hundreds of orders on its platform altogether, DoorDash said, and it planned to focus on its own text agent.
Two ways to shop with an AI agent
Amazon Alexa for Shopping
Text thread, invited US customers
- Shoppers research, compare and buy by text
- Sponsored products can appear among the options
- Wider release put at weeks by one account and months by another
Meta Muse
Dedicated app for US users
- Users can chat with and call the agent
- Blocked from Amazon's marketplace, Amazon said
- Amazon said Muse appeared to keep customer credentials
Amazon has been fighting those agents. It blocked Meta's Muse from its marketplace, saying the tool appeared to reach its online store without authorisation and keep customer credentials.
Amazon won a court order against Perplexity's shopping agent, Comet, in March. A US appeals court overturned that ban in August, and the case is still running.
- MarchComet blocked
Amazon wins a court order against Perplexity's shopping agent.
- MayAgent launches
Amazon launches Alexa for Shopping.
- AugustBan overturned
A US appeals court lifts the order; the case continues.
- SeptemberDoorDash by text
DoorDash starts taking orders by text message.
- FridayText shopping opens
Invited US customers can buy from Amazon by text.
Amazon's expectations and the open questions
Last week, Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy said Alexa for Shopping could eventually be the primary way people shop on Amazon through an agent.
Elton Jones, an AI writer at Tom's Guide, said he is happy to use Alexa for Shopping within the app instead of texting it. But he senses Amazon wants customers to stay in its ecosystem, rather than turn to Meta Muse and other third-party AI tools.
CNET advises users to check that the AI follows their instructions. It also urges caution about sharing personal details such as a delivery address, banking information and preferences.
Shoppers who do not receive an invitation can sign up online to a waitlist for updates on when more invites go out.
What we know
- Amazon announced the text feature on Friday.
- The first invitations went to a small group of US customers.
- A waitlist is open for people who were not invited.
Still unclear
- The exact date when access opens beyond the invited group.
- How cancellations, additions to orders and refunds are handled.
- How the Perplexity Comet case will be resolved.
The rollout lands just before the start of the holiday shopping season, according to TechCrunch.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment about how customers can change an order, stop it or seek a refund.
