Amazon has launched Alexa for Shopping, a personalised AI shopping assistant powered by Alexa+ that replaces its previous generative AI tool Rufus. Now available to US customers across mobile, desktop, and Echo Show displays, the assistant uses purchase history and browsing habits to deliver tailored product recommendations, comparison tools, price tracking, and automated recurring orders.
Unlike Rufus, which focused on product discovery, Alexa for Shopping is designed to act autonomously — including through a Buy for Me feature that can complete purchases on third-party retail sites beyond Amazon’s own marketplace, a capability that has drawn scrutiny from online retailers concerned about AI-driven purchasing behaviour.
The launch is part of a broader push by Amazon to embed AI across its retail infrastructure, following the recent rollout of its 30-minute Amazon Now delivery service and an AI-generated audio question-and-answer feature on product pages.
