Amazon is giving shoppers a new way to buy: you can now text Alexa to shop on Amazon, sending requests to the AI agent as you would to a friend. The feature is initially available by invitation to select customers in the United States, with a broader release expected in the coming weeks.
How the texting option works
The company describes the texting route as its most convenient shopping solution to date. Instead of opening an app or speaking aloud, customers can type a request directly to Alexa. Typical uses include ordering a weekly grocery basket, hunting for a gift, or asking for a quick re-order of a household item that is running low.
Once a request arrives, Alexa replies with suggestions. Shoppers can review those options, approve the items they want, and let the assistant add them to the cart and finish the purchase. The process is designed to keep the conversation going until the order is complete.
Photos and product research join the chat
Text is not the only input. Alexa also accepts attachments and will scan the store for matches based on the . That gives customers a way to search for an item when they have a but not a product name.
The agent can also help with research beyond the immediate order. Shoppers can text Alexa about products they want to watch, setting up alerts for when those items go on sale. They can ask about pricing history for up to a full year before deciding whether a current price is worth acting on.
Delivery updates and cross-app continuity
Order tracking is part of the same conversation. Customers can text Alexa to find out the status of an upcoming delivery. Any requests made through the texting feature carry over to the Amazon Shopping app and the website, so shoppers can continue researching or managing an order on a larger screen if they prefer.
Amazon says the assistant will improve its recommendations over time as it learns each customer’s shopping habits and tastes. That means the suggestions are intended to become more tailored the more the feature is used.
Invite-only start and sign-up details
To try the feature early, customers can sign up through Amazon’s invitation process. Participants need to link their phone number. If accepted, they will see “Alexa Shopping” listed in their contacts, which is where the text conversation takes place.
The invite-only phase is limited to the US for now. Amazon has not specified which customers will receive access first or exactly when the wider rollout will begin, beyond saying it is expected in the coming weeks.
What the feature changes for shoppers
The texting option builds on existing Alexa shopping tools, including the Alexa Shopping app and online lists where customers can already place grocery requests. The new approach adds a conversational, message-based layer that can handle searching, cart building, checkout, sale alerts, price history checks, and delivery tracking in one thread.
For Amazon, the feature ties several shopping tasks to a single AI agent that customers can reach through their phone’s messaging interface. For shoppers, the appeal is speed: a short text can turn into a completed order without navigating multiple screens. The invitation phase will test how well that promise holds up before the feature reaches a wider audience.
