Amazon has announced the launch of its AI-powered shopping assistant Alexa for Shopping in the UK, with a promise of a more tailored and streamlined search experience within its app.

Users can ask Alexa for Shopping natural language questions within the Amazon app, which the tool then uses to help them find relevant products or to navigate to a function such as tracking their orders.

Amazon said Alexa for Shopping can also compare products according to their features and prices, generate up to a 365-day price history for any product, and automatically generates AI summaries of product descriptions.

Alexa for Shopping connects the user’s Amazon account history, including browsing and purchases, with their Alexa+ device activity as additional context for replies and product recommendations.

This allows it to respond to more tailored requests, with Amazon stating that it can draw on user data to turn prompts such as “add my regular dog treats” or “add my favourite coffee” to manage a user’s basket.

Its connection with Alexa also kicks in when users input a prompt more suited to that service, Amazon said, such as asking for music to be played on their smart device.

Customers can alter their customisation preferences for Alexa for Shopping at any time through direct interaction with the agent, Amazon added.

Amazon said that in the weeks and months ahead, users will be able to ask Alexa for Shopping alerts that notify them when a product drops in price, longer context to ensure it remembers their preferences across devices and recurring automations that automatically add a product to their basket each month.

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