Amazon has launched a new self-service portal that enables retailers to make their products discoverable through Amazon and Alexa for Shopping without listing them directly on Amazon's marketplace.

The new Shop Direct Merchant Workspace allows eligible merchants to connect their online stores to Amazon using existing product catalogues. Products can then appear in relevant Amazon search results and within Alexa for Shopping, directing customers to the retailer's own website to complete their purchase.

According to Amazon, tens of millions of customers have already discovered hundreds of millions of products from external retailers through the Shop Direct programme since its launch last year. Shop Direct products now appear in hundreds of millions of searches each month.

The Merchant Workspace enables retailers to register for the programme, upload and manage product feeds, and monitor which products are available through Shop Direct.

Amazon said merchants can reuse catalogues already created for other sales channels through providers including Feedonomics, Salsify, CEDCommerce and VersaFeed, reducing the technical work required to join the programme.

For eligible products, Amazon's AI-powered "Buy for Me" feature can complete purchases on behalf of customers. Rather than redirecting shoppers to a retailer's website, the tool uses AI to place the order using the customer's selected payment method, delivery address and shipping preferences.

Amanda Doerr, vice president of core shopping at Amazon, said: "Customers are increasingly trusting Amazon and Alexa for Shopping as the place to start any shopping journey, whether what they're looking for is in our store or somewhere else on the web.

"Shop Direct makes it simple for merchants to have their selection discovered by Amazon customers. We created the Merchant Workspace to make it fast and easy for merchants to be part of this growing experience using the catalogues they've already built for other shopping destinations."

Retailers participating in Shop Direct continue to manage their own pricing, inventory, fulfilment and customer service. They can also choose which products to include in the programme, with no participation fees and the option to leave at any time.

Shop Direct is currently available to customers in the United States through Amazon.com, the Amazon Shopping app, mobile browsers and Alexa for Shopping.

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