Amazon will let customers text Alexa their shopping list

Amazon is adding a texting feature to Alexa for Shopping, letting customers ask the AI shopping assistant to find and order products through messages. Customers can describe what they want or send a photo. Alexa for Shopping will search Amazon listings, text back recommendations and, if asked, place an order on their behalf.

The feature builds on Alexa for Shopping, which launched in May. The contact will appear on phones as “Amazon Alexa.” Amazon says customers can use it for requests such as weekly groceries, gift recommendations and finding products similar to something in a photo. Alexa can also remember preferences, such as requests for vegan options, and track deals and prices to send a message when a watched item goes on sale.

The texting feature is starting to roll out today to a small group of Amazon customers in the US, who will receive an invitation by text. Amazon says it plans to extend access to “millions more customers” in the coming weeks.

Amazon joins other companies offering text-based chatbot interactions. OpenAI launched a way to text its personal AI agent, Dot, last month, while DoorDash introduced text-based ordering for its Ask DoorDash AI chatbot in September.