Amazon opens text-message shopping via Alexa for Shopping
Invited US customers can search, compare prices and pay by texting Amazon's AI assistant, with a wider rollout planned.
Amazon has launched a shopping service that runs entirely over text messages through its AI assistant, Alexa for Shopping. The company said it introduced the text-based feature to some customers in the US on the 6th local time, according to aitimes.com.
The service lets users search for products, compare prices and complete purchases by sending messages, with no separate app and no voice commands. It handles natural-language product search and comparison, discount and price-change information, order placement, shopping-list management and delivery-status checks.
Users can also send photos of clothing or other products to find similar items. To pay, they reply to Alexa's payment message or press an order button, and can then track delivery through the same thread. Messages go to a dedicated Amazon business number.
The feature is currently limited to invited customers and will expand to more users in the coming weeks. People without an invitation can join a waitlist, Amazon said.
The company said Alexa is planned to learn users' shopping tastes and recommend products that match individual preferences.
Agent access disputes continue
The launch comes amid friction over outside shopping agents. In August, a US appeals court overturned a block order in Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity over its shopping agent Comet, and the case continues. Amazon also recently blocked Meta's AI shopping agent Muse from accessing its online store without permission.
Quick answers
How do I use Alexa for Shopping by text?
You message a dedicated Amazon business number to search products, compare prices, place orders, manage a shopping list and check delivery status.
Is the text-message shopping feature available to everyone?
No. It is limited to invited customers in the US and will expand in the coming weeks; others can join a waitlist.