TL;DR
- Amazon is bringing Alexa Plus to the search bar on its website and apps.
- Alexa for Shopping will allow you to ask questions from the search bar, create shopping guides, generate product comparisons, and more.
- The new search experience will replace Rufus, a bot that summarizes product reviews and makes shopping suggestions.
It’s been over a year since Alexa Plus was first announced. Since then, the advanced AI assistant has been launched in Echo devices and even received its own dedicated website. Now the big language model is finding a new home right inside the search bars of Amazon.com and mobile apps.
Don’t want to miss the best of Android Authority?
e-commerce giant announced On Wednesday it is launching Alexa for shopping. This new search experience will combine the context and personalization capabilities of Alexa Plus with Rufus, a shopping assistant bot that summarizes product reviews and makes shopping suggestions. As a result, Alexa will also replace Rufus for shopping.
When the tool rolls out, you’ll be able to ask questions in the search bar or in a dedicated chat window. Depending on the context of your query, the AI will offer purchase suggestions, shopping guides, product comparisons, product overviews, and even up to a year of product price history. You’ll also be able to use the tool to schedule regular purchases, shop from other retailers on the web, ask Alexa to add something to your cart, and ask for details about family members or pets.
“Alexa for shopping is like an expert personal shopper who already knows you and remembers your preferences, your past purchases, and your conversations, and puts that knowledge and understanding about you across your phones, laptops, and Echo devices,” says Rajeev Mehta, Amazon’s vice president of Conversational Shopping. “Whether you’re comparing products, tracking price drops, or continuing research you started yesterday, you never have to start over.”
In addition to the rollout of Alexa for shopping, Amazon announced that it is bringing the full shopping experience to Echo Show devices. You’ll now be able to browse, search, and shop the entire Amazon website on these smart speakers with displays. Previously, browsing options were limited to Alexa’s limited shopping capabilities.
Alexa for Shopping is expected to launch in the coming weeks for users in the US. If you don’t see the new tool, Amazon recommends updating the app. You’ll be able to access the new search experience by tapping on the Alexa icon in the bottom navigation bar. For website visitors, this icon will appear at the top of the page.
Thank you for being a part of our community. Please read our comment policy before posting.
