Amazon deploys AI-driven custom merchandise tool in US Shopping app
The tech giant’s latest update allows consumers to generate and order custom apparel and drinkware without design skills, though the service remains exclusive to the American market.
Amazon has expanded its artificial intelligence capabilities with a new feature in its US Shopping app, enabling users to generate custom merchandise designs via Alexa prompts. Announced on Monday, the tool integrates directly with the company’s existing Merch on Demand print-on-demand platform, allowing consumers to create designs for items such as T-shirts, hoodies, and tumblers without requiring traditional design expertise.
The service positions Amazon as a direct competitor to established online merchandise platforms including Redbubble, Bonfire, Spring, and Fourthwall. By lowering the barrier to entry for physical product creation, Amazon aims to make AI-designed merchandise a standard shopping option for general consumers, moving beyond the creator and organisational focus typical of traditional print-on-demand businesses.
Users can access the feature by tapping the Alexa icon in the bottom right corner of the app or by searching “customize” and selecting the relevant drop-down option. After describing their idea to Alexa, customers can view the generated design and refine it using suggested actions or further text instructions. The results can be shared with friends or family, who can then add the products to their own shopping carts.
Amazon manages the production and Prime delivery of the items, with customers paying only for the final physical products. The AI design tool itself is free to use. Supported merchandise includes a wide range of apparel such as V-necks, long-sleeve shirts, polo shirts, quarter zips, jerseys, sweatshirts, tank tops, and raglans, alongside tumblers and water bottles.
The feature is currently exclusive to the United States. While the move offers convenience for one-off designs like family reunion shirts or personalised gifts, it has drawn attention from artists concerned about the use of their work in training AI models. It remains unclear whether the service will be rolled out to other countries in the near future or which specific AI technologies power the design generation.
