Amazon rolls out dedicated 'Alexa for Shopping' AI assistant to US market
The Seattle-based retailer is deploying a new shopping-focused artificial intelligence assistant to all US customers, leveraging user history to offer personalised recommendations, price tracking, and automated purchasing capabilities.
Amazon is rolling out a dedicated shopping version of its voice assistant, termed an 'agentic AI assistant', to all customers in the United States over the coming week. The service, known as 'Alexa for Shopping', is accessible via the Amazon mobile app and website, requiring no Amazon Prime membership or Echo device. This move marks a significant consolidation of the company’s artificial intelligence efforts, merging the generative AI capabilities of its 'Alexa+' upgrade with the product expertise of 'Rufus', an AI shopping assistant launched in 2024.
Access to the new tool is facilitated through the Amazon mobile app’s bottom menu or the website’s top screen, with the system also recognising queries typed directly into the search bar. To function, users must be logged in, allowing the assistant to utilise interaction history from Echo devices alongside browsing and purchasing data on Amazon. This data integration enables the service to provide personalised product recommendations, price alerts, and troubleshooting advice based on a user’s specific profile.
The assistant is designed to retain context from previous conversations, ensuring continuity across devices. For example, if a user discusses a school science project on an Echo device days prior, the assistant can later recommend relevant supplies when accessed via the app or website. It also offers utility functions such as setting price alerts, comparing multiple items from search results, and displaying one-year price history. Additionally, it can create custom shopping guides that compare features, prices, and reviews across selected products.
Beyond simple recommendations, the tool supports routine purchases by automatically adding items to the cart based on previous orders. It provides troubleshooting tips for malfunctioning appliances based on previously purchased items, such as suggesting specific dishwasher pods for a known model. The assistant can also suggest age-appropriate gifts guaranteed to arrive before a specified date, addressing logistical concerns for consumers.
In conjunction with the software rollout, Amazon is updating Echo Show devices with a full-screen Amazon experience to facilitate browsing and searching on smart displays. This update underscores the company’s broader strategy to overhaul the US shopping experience using large language models, emphasising cross-device continuity where context from voice interactions carries seamlessly over to the website and app.
