After blocking Muse, Amazon now lets users text Alexa to help them shop

You can now text Alexa to complete purchases on Amazon, which was previously restricted to specific tools or direct app use.

Amazon has launched a new feature allowing U.S. customers to interact with Alexa via text messages for shopping purposes. This move allows users to search for products, add items to their cart, and make purchases using natural language queries. The texting capability expands on Alexa's existing shopping functions, including managing lists, tracking prices, comparing products, and checking order status. Users can also search for similar items by sharing images. This initiative comes after Amazon previously blocked Meta's Muse from accessing its site and is being rolled out to select customers before the holiday shopping season, with a waitlist available for others. The company plans to further develop Alexa's ability to learn user preferences and offer personalized suggestions over time.

Amazon's introduction of a text-based Alexa shopping assistant signifies a strategic pivot to capture a growing market of AI-powered conversational commerce, directly challenging third-party AI agents. By integrating this functionality, Amazon aims to streamline the online shopping experience and retain customer interactions within its own ecosystem, especially as the holiday shopping season approaches.

This development highlights a broader trend of major e-commerce platforms developing proprietary AI agents to enhance user engagement and control the customer journey. The decision to block external agents like Muse suggests a protective stance towards its sales channels and customer data, pushing users towards its native, text-enabled Alexa for shopping interactions.