How to set up Amazon Alexa's price drop alerts and auto-buy feature

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In the age of AI, it should come as no surprise that Amazon's shopping tools can notify you when an item's price drops and, for eligible Prime members, automatically buy it when it reaches a pre-selected price. To kick off your automated shopping spree, start with Amazon's built-in Price History feature, a small blue button next to the item's price on a desktop. The button is also present in the app, but it appears either as a white button with a blue outline or a text link. This feature uses AI to show you how a particular product's price has changed over the past 30, 90 or 365 days.

Amazon's AI shopping assistant, Alexa for Shopping (formerly known as Rufus), will also answer questions about the product and its price history if you prefer to chat. If Alexa for Shopping isn't your cup of tea, you can use a few third-party apps, like CamelCamelCamel or Keepa, to track Amazon pricing history and set price watches. However, those services can't place orders for you, only monitor and report.

Use the info you gather to set realistic price targets. A good example would be an item that repeatedly drops to $75 but currently costs $100. Setting up a $75 alert makes more sense than setting a $40 alert, unless you prefer a very quiet alert history.

If you have Echo devices in your home, you're probably aware of the periodic price alerts Alexa announces. The announcements typically relate to items in your purchase history, but you can make things more specific. Open an Amazon listing and simply ask Alexa for Shopping to watch the item at a price you choose. Going forward, Amazon will regularly check the item and notify you when it reaches your price point. Simple as that.

If you want Amazon to go a step further and order the item for you, make your request explicit: "Buy these headphones when they are $75 or less." This auto-buy feature allows Amazon to make the purchase when the price reaches your target using your default payment method. Unfortunately, coupons and promotional discounts don't work with the Auto Buy option, so you'll have to keep an eye on that yourself. Also, make sure you account for things like sales tax and delivery charges, especially if you're dead set on a specific price point.

If your notifications are turned off, it won't matter what you tell Alexa for Shopping to do. On an iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Amazon > Notifications > Allow Notifications. On most Android phones, open Settings > Apps > Amazon > Enable Notifications.

Also, it's okay to be a bit vague if you're not sure about a product but want to monitor a specific category of products, like espresso machines or noise-canceling headphones. You don't have to know a specific product to provide Alexa for Shopping with a list of constraints, like budget, color or specific features. You're essentially creating an outline and allowing the service to do its thing while you do your thing. This style of category alert will generally drop daily updates whenever a matching offer pops up.

Alexa for Shopping is available to US customers in the Amazon app and on Amazon.com or Echo devices. You don't need a Prime membership to browse around the site or even set up price alerts, but that's not the case for Auto Buy purchases.