Watch Desk posted an update
Amazon is adding text messages to Alexa for Shopping, so customers can describe an item or send a photo and get matching Amazon listings by text. The assistant can also place the order on their behalf, The Verge reports.
Why it mattersIt builds on Alexa for Shopping, which launched in May. The new option is for those moments when opening an app feels like an unreasonable amount of tapping. The feature puts a conversational AI assistant directly in the shopping flow.
Discuss: Would you trust Alexa to order from a text exchange, or is checking out yourself a useful final guardrail?
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedAmazon says its new text-based Alexa shopping service is currently available to an initial group of US customers through an invite-only pilot. The company plans to expand access to millions more in the coming weeks.
Customers can search for products, build carts and manage shopping lists by text, with Alexa also able to track price histories and complete purchases. Amazon says an approval step is intended to prevent accidental orders.
Amazon is testing sponsored product placements during product discovery, but says completed purchases will remain ad-free. The placements are currently being offered free as it gauges how people respond to advertising in personal message threads.
Sources and evidence
- Text, shop, done: Alexa for Shopping is now just a text away: Amazon says its invite-only US pilot for Alexa shopping by text includes cart and list management, price-history tracking and purchase approval, and that it is testing free sponsored placements during discovery while keeping completed purchases ad-free.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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