Amazon Begins Text Access to Alexa for Shopping

Amazon is rolling out text-based access to Alexa for Shopping, its AI shopping assistant, to a small group of invited U.S. customers, with broader access expected in the coming weeks, the company said Friday, November 6. Customers can text requests to the assistant to find and compare products, track deals and price drops, and make purchases. Amazon said the service can complete purchases on a customer’s behalf, while other orders require customer approval or can be triggered when a price reaches a target set by the user. The company said customers will receive an invitation to try the feature. They can also use texts to reorder past purchases and check package deliveries. Amazon said conversations begun by text can continue in its app, on its website and through Alexa devices. The assistant can accept product requests and, according to Amazon, photos such as a recipe or an outfit. Sponsored products may appear among the options sent in text replies, but Amazon is not initially charging advertisers for those placements, according to the company. Amazon also said purchases the assistant completes automatically will not include ads. The advertising arrangements add a new...