Amazon made a version of Alexa just for shopping
Amazon is rolling out a version of Alexa that's specifically for shopping to all customers in the US over the coming week and you'll be able to access it even if you don't have a Prime membership or an Echo device. You can use it for free in the Amazon mobile app by tapping the Alexa icon in the bottom menu, or by tapping the icon at the top of your screen on the Amazon website. You can also just type questions in the Amazon website search bar, which will recognize that the question is meant for the assistant.
The company says Alexa for Shopping combines the personalized knowledge of Alexa+, its gen AI-powered Alexa upgrade, with the product expertise of Rufus, its old AI-powered shopping assistant that rolled out back in 2024. Alexa for Shopping takes note of all your interactions with Alexa on the Echo and other devices, as well as your shopping and browsing history on Amazon. It can then make suggestions on what to buy based on those details. The assistant can also answer questions unrelated to purchases, based on things you previously bought.
Amazon listed a few examples of how Amazon for Shopping could work for you. You can use Alexa to brainstorm ideas for a school science project, for instance, and it can recommend supplies to buy even if you had discussed the project with the assistant days ago. Its assistant can give you troubleshooting tips for malfunctioning appliances based on items you previously purchased for them, such as pods for a specific dishwasher model. You can ask the assistant for advice on which laptop to buy that meets your specs, and then set a price alert for it. If you tell Alexa that a child in your life is turning 5, it can suggest age-appropriate gifts that will arrive before their birthday.
In addition, Alexa for Shopping can compare multiple items you select from your search results and show you the price history of an item for the past year. You can use it to schedule routine purchases, automatically add items to your cart based on previous orders and ask it to create custom shopping guides that compare features, prices and reviews between items. Note that you have to be logged in to use it, since it needs to see your profile and history to work. In addition to launching Alexa for Shopping, the company is also bringing the full Amazon experience to Echo Show devices with larger screens, allowing you to search and browse for items on the smart displays.