Amazon has expanded its AI-powered shopping assistant, allowing users to browse, compare, and purchase items directly through a text message thread. Previously restricted to the Amazon app and website, the feature brings conversational shopping capabilities straight to standard messaging.
What Text-Based Alexa Can Do
According to Amazon, the AI agent can handle tasks such as ordering weekly groceries, scanning recipes to automatically add ingredients to a cart, searching for deals, and sending notifications when prices drop. Users can also manage previous purchases, request delivery updates, and maintain regular grocery lists with specific preferences.
Shoppers can customize their commands by instructing the system to select only organic products. Once satisfied with the selections, customers can confirm orders via text or establish recurring weekly grocery deliveries. The tool also provides product comparisons and price history tracking to verify that the best possible price is secured.
Additional Features and Security Considerations
The system incorporates Shop Direct, enabling users to explore and purchase merchandise from external websites. Amazon states that purchases require user approval before completion. However, CNET notes that artificial intelligence can occasionally behave unpredictably, requiring users to monitor instructions closely and exercise caution when sharing sensitive data such as delivery addresses, financial details, and personal preferences with AI tools. An Amazon representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding how cancellations, order additions, or refunds are handled.
The text capability enters a crowded market of AI shopping assistants, competing with similar offerings like Meta Muse and Google Universal Cart.
The new feature begins rolling out via text invitation to a limited user group in the United States, with broader availability expected over the coming months. Interested users can also sign up online to receive updates on the rollout.
