Amazon adds 100+ new Alexa shopping features for lists and subscriptions

In short: Amazon updated Alexa with more than 100 new shopping features, including better help with lists, subscriptions, and delivery instructions.

What happened

Amazon says it has added over 100 new shopping related capabilities to Alexa ahead of the holiday season. Alexa is Amazon’s voice assistant, the tool you talk to on Echo speakers and in some Amazon apps.

One big change is list management. You can ask Alexa to create a shopping list, register it, see what is on it, and add, remove, or edit items. Think of it like telling a helpful clerk what to write on your grocery list, then asking them to read it back to you.

Amazon also says Alexa can now help manage subscriptions, meaning repeat deliveries of items you buy regularly. For example, you can ask Alexa to change a delivery from every month to every three months. You can also update delivery instructions, such as changing an address or adding drop off details.

On top of that, Alexa can answer more questions about Prime and Audible subscriptions. It can also help with billing and payment issues, like explaining what a charge is for or helping you resolve a payment problem.

Amazon said that since the start of this year, usage of its “agentic” features has grown 8x. In plain terms, that means more people are using Alexa for tasks that involve multiple steps, not just simple questions. Amazon also said that over the last 12 months, more than 400 million consumers have used Alexa for shopping.

Why it matters

For regular shoppers, this update could make it easier to keep track of what you need to buy and to avoid unwanted repeat orders, especially during the busy holiday season.

Source: TechCrunch AI