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Amazon rolls out text-based shopping through Alexa

Reuters
Amazon rolls out text-based shopping through Alexa

Nov 6 (Reuters) - Amazon ‌on Friday said US customers would be able to ​use Alexa ‌for Shopping, its AI-powered shopping assistant, ‌to search for products and make purchases through text messages.

Here ‌are some details:

• Amazon said the new text feature lets users research and compare products, track deals and ⁠price drops, and have Alexa ‌for Shopping complete ⁠purchases on their behalf

• The feature ​is rolling out to a small group of invited US customers ​ahead of a broader launch ​in ‌the coming weeks, Amazon said

• The ​launch follows Amazon's recent move ⁠to block Meta's AI shopping ‌agent, Muse, ​from accessing its ​marketplace, saying the tool appeared to access its online store without authorization and store customer credentials

• Amazon ‌also won a court order blocking Perplexity's shopping agent, Comet, in March, ‌though ​a US appeals court overturned the ban in August. The case remains ongoing

(Reporting by Neil J Kanatt in ‌Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)