Amazon launches text-based shopping using Alexa

Amazon on Friday gave a small, invited group of US customers early access to shop by text through its Alexa for Shopping agent, which lets users search for items, compare options and place orders in a text thread. The company expects millions more people to gain access over the next few weeks and offers a waitlist. The agent can add items to carts, make purchases, watch for price drops, check pricing history up to a year, manage lists, track packages and find products outside Amazon through Shop Direct. Amazon has also blocked rival shopping tools, including Meta’s Muse in September and, through litigation, Perplexity’s Comet; a court order blocking Comet in March was overturned in August, and the case continues.