Amazon is embracing the trend of AI interaction via text by introducing a feature that allows customers to chat with its Alexa AI agent using SMS. This enables users to shop directly through text messages, much like other AI agents such as Muse or Instinct.
This move comes shortly after Amazon blocked Meta’s Muse from querying its site in September. The company is rolling out this functionality just in time for the start of the holiday shopping season.
The e-commerce giant stated that a select group of U.S. customers will receive a text message inviting them to enable the shopping feature. Once activated, users can text Alexa to conduct shopping activities, ranging from searching for items and adding them to a cart to completing purchases using natural language.
This text agent builds upon the recent shopping upgrades for Alexa, allowing it to manage lists, track prices, search the web, compare products, and check order status. Users can also share an image of an item or an outfit to find similar listings on Amazon.
Amazon indicated that Alexa will eventually learn individual user preferences to suggest relevant items.
Users who are not currently invited can sign up for a waitlist, with a broader rollout expected in the coming weeks.
As the market for consumer-focused AI agents expands, platforms like Amazon are developing their own to tap into this new user interaction avenue. Notably, DoorDash reported that third-party agents have so far only placed hundreds of orders and plans to focus on developing its own text-based agent, launched in September.
The Editorial Staff at AIChief is a team of professional content writers with extensive experience in AI and marketing. Founded in 2025, AIChief has quickly grown into the largest free AI resource hub in the industry.