Amazon starts letting some customers text Alexa to shop

In short: Amazon is rolling out a feature that lets shoppers text Alexa to find and buy items on Amazon.

What happened

Amazon says select customers in the US will receive a text message inviting them to turn on a new shopping feature. If they enable it, they can text back and chat with Alexa, Amazon’s AI helper.

The idea is simple: instead of tapping through menus, you can write what you want in everyday language, like you would text a friend. Alexa can help search for products, add items to your cart, and complete a purchase.

Amazon says the texting feature also supports shopping tasks Alexa has recently been updated for. That includes managing shopping lists, tracking prices, comparing products, checking order status, and updating delivery instructions. Shoppers can also send a photo, like a picture of an outfit, and ask Alexa to find similar items on Amazon.

Amazon said it will roll out to millions of users in the coming weeks, ahead of the holiday shopping season. People who do not get an invite can join a waitlist at amazon.com/text-alexa-shopping.

The launch comes a few months after Amazon blocked Meta’s Muse, an AI shopping agent, from pulling information from Amazon.com, according to TechCrunch.

Why it matters

For regular shoppers, this is another step toward buying things by conversation, more like texting a personal shopper than browsing a store aisle. It could save time, but it also makes it easier to buy quickly, which some people may want to watch during the holidays.

Source: TechCrunch AI