Amazon has rolled out a suite of new shopping-enabled features for its AI assistant, Alexa+, in the U.S. and Canada. The updates, available today, are designed to enhance the e-commerce functionality of Echo smart devices, notably introducing a dedicated shopping hub on screen-equipped models and expanding delivery management tools.
Among the key additions is the "Shopping Essentials" experience, transforming Amazon Echo Show 15 and 21 devices into a centralized shopping dashboard. This interface enables users to track deliveries in real time, view recent order details, receive reminders for household reorders, and access their shopping lists and saved items. The screen functionality also allows for direct interaction, enabling shoppers to tap for more product information, add items to their cart, and proceed to checkout.
Further enhancements include the ability for Alexa+ device owners to add items to an upcoming delivery order at any point until the shipment leaves the warehouse. This feature aligns with recent additions to Amazon's retail website and app, now extending to Alexa-enabled devices. Additionally, Alexa+ now offers gift recommendations; users can describe the recipient or occasion, and the assistant will display categorized product suggestions on the screen.
These developments build on Amazon's prior efforts to integrate shopping into its AI ecosystem, which includes existing features such as automated deal tracking and automatic purchases that alert users to price drops and can initiate orders. The company stated that Alexa+ is currently accessible to "tens of millions" of customers. While acknowledging some user feedback regarding the transition to Alexa+, Amazon reported that the percentage of users who have opted to downgrade back to the AI-free interface remains in the "very low single digits."
