Amazon lets users text Alexa to shop, weeks before the holidays

What the text agent can do

The tool builds on Amazon's recent shopping-focused upgrades to Alexa. It can manage lists, track prices, search for items across the web, compare products and check the status of orders. Users can also share a photo of an item, or of someone wearing an outfit, to find similar listings on Amazon.

Amazon said Alexa will learn users' preferences over time and suggest items accordingly.

A race to own the shopping conversation

The launch follows Amazon's decision in September to block Meta's Muse from querying its site. Texting has become a popular way to interact with AI agents, and Amazon is now offering a comparable experience of its own, similar to what agents such as Muse or Instinct provide.

Amazon is not alone in building in-house. Last month, DoorDash said third-party agents had placed only hundreds of orders in total on its platform, and that it plans to focus on developing its own text-based agent, which it launched in September.

For shoppers, the change means a familiar messaging interface can replace the app for routine searches and reorders. For retailers, it shows that large platforms prefer to keep AI-driven buying inside their own ecosystems, where they control the data and the customer relationship, rather than leaving it to outside agents.