Amazon’s new text-to-shop feature arrives ahead of the holidays — here’s how the latest improvement to the Alexa for Shopping AI agent works
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Just last month, Amazon's personal AI shopping agent got a major upgrade that gave users over 100 new ways to utilize it . Being able to create lists, ask questions about various Amazon subscriptions & benefits, manage those same subscriptions, update the instructions for incoming deliveries, get answers to one’s billing & payment questions and more are all now possible through Alexa for Shopping.
Now, Alexa for Shopping has gotten yet another major upgrade. And this time, it gives users the ability to have a direct chat with it right from their text messages without even having to open the Amazon app or site. Here’s how that new nifty shopping feature works and who can currently access it.
Texting with Alexa for Shopping is the latest feature that has come to Amazon’s AI shopping agent and is currently rolling out to a select number of US customers through invitations.
And over the coming weeks, even more Amazon customers will have that option expanded to them in the same manner. Amazon shoppers should keep an eye out for a text message inviting them to try out the new Alexa for Shopping feature—other users can check out this landing page and sign up to get updates on when more invites for that latest update begin rolling out.
Amazon has listed a wide range of best-use cases for users who’ll begin texting Alexa for Shopping. Those examples include texting Alexa to begin producing your weekly shopping list, looking up a birthday gift you need by a certain day, sharing a photo of a piece of clothing & asking the AI agent to find similar options and making sure it resupplies your pet food supply after letting it know you’ve run out.
Some of the other methods Amazon mentioned as the best ways to utilize Alexa for Shopping's direct texting feature include:
It’s interesting to see Amazon make a concerted effort to turn Alexa for Shopping into more of a reliable AI agent that can exist outside of its app and site. I get the feeling that it wants to keep Amazon customers inside its ecosystem and away from the likes of Meta Muse and other third-party AI tools that also fulfill their online item research and shopping needs.
I’m perfectly fine with continuing to interact with Alexa for Shopping directly inside the app since I have no desire to text it every time I get the urge to add something new to my video games wishlist.