Amazon adds texting to Alexa for Shopping

Amazon's new texting feature builds on Alexa for Shopping, which launched in May. That earlier version already let customers place orders during moments when texting is more convenient than using Amazon's app or website. The contact appears in your phone as "Amazon Alexa," and the assistant can handle a wide range of shopping requests, from weekly groceries to gift recommendations and finding similar products to something you've snapped a photo of. Amazon says Alexa remembers personal preferences over time—if you frequently ask for vegan options, it will factor that into recommendations—and can track deals and prices to text you when a watched item goes on sale.

The texting capability is rolling out to a small group of Amazon customers in the US starting today, who will receive a text message inviting them to try it. Amazon says it will then roll out to "millions more customers" in the coming weeks. Rajiv Mehta, vice president of Conversational Shopping at Amazon, said customers often jot down what they need in notes, messages, and group chats, and the new feature aims to meet that behavior by making a personal shopping agent "just a text away."

Amazon is one of several companies that have introduced ways to text their chatbots. Last month OpenAI launched a feature allowing users to exchange text messages with its personal AI agent, Dot. DoorDash also introduced a text-based ordering feature in September that lets users get dish recommendations and order food by texting the Ask DoorDash AI chatbot.