Whether you like it or not, Amazon continues to put AI at the center of the shopping journey. The company on Wednesday announced “Alexa for Shopping”, its new personal AI shopping assistant powered by Alexa+.
Notably, this experience will replace Rufus, its generative AI shopping assistant launched in 2024. According to the company, Alexa for Shopping is designed to provide voice and touch-enabled shopping experiences on mobile, desktop, and Echo Show smart displays. While Rufus focused on helping customers discover and compare products, Alexa for Shopping aims to provide more personalized recommendations and automate the shopping experience at Amazon and other online retailers.
Now available to US customers, Alexa for Shopping can ask “What’s a good skin care routine for men?” Can answer anything. “When did I last order AA batteries?” Users can type their question into the main search bar or the dedicated Alexa for Shopping chat window, and Alexa will provide tailored answers, recommendations, and even create custom shopping guides. The company says the Assistant understands customers’ habits, preferences and purchase history to provide “connected, personalized assistance to how you shop” and to make the Assistant “more personalized and more useful over time.”
In addition to answering questions, Alexa for Shopping can compare products, keep track of prices, and even schedule recurring orders for essentials like pet food or paper towels. If you want to automatically add something to your cart when it goes on sale, you can simply tell Alexa, “Add this sunscreen to my cart if the price drops to $10.”
Additionally, the Assistant can go beyond Amazon’s marketplace, shop from other online stores and use its “Buy for Me” feature to handle purchases for you, which could be considered convenient but also a bit controversial given the growing concern around AI autonomy and privacy.
The launch of Alexa for Shopping comes after Amazon launched its 30-minute delivery service, “Amazon Now,” in dozens of US cities and a new AI-powered feature that generates real-time conversational audio responses to customer product queries.
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