Amazon Launches AI Shopping Assistant Tailored to Your Interests
Amazon is the latest tech giant to delve deeper into the world of artificial intelligence with the launch of a new tool designed to personalize the online shopping experience. The new feature, dubbed “Interests,” aims to provide tailored product recommendations to customers based on their individual hobbies and preferences.
The new Amazon AI tool will suggest items to shoppers based on their lifestyle.
In a blog post released on Wednesday, Amazon detailed how the AI will allow shoppers to find products more aligned with their interests. The tool can analyze a shopper’s preferences and suggest relevant items. For example, the AI might recommend new football apparel to an NFL fan, or golf equipment to an avid golfer. The feature allows users to use conversational language such as “brewing tools and gadgets for coffee lovers” to find products in Amazon’s store.
The tool is designed to operate continuously, helping customers filter out the noise and focus on relevant items. Furthermore, the AI can provide recommendations based on a shopper’s specified price range.
This latest development adds to Amazon’s growing list of AI advancements, which includes a more conversational Alexa, more AI-generated review summaries, and enhancements to Rufus, its AI-powered shopping assistant.
However, Sucharita Kodali, an analyst with Forrester, suggests the tool is an iteration of existing personalization systems already used in retail. “It sounds to me like just another recommendation engine with a preference center layer,” Kodali said. “Maybe there’s a prettier user interface to excite people but it doesn’t sound that different to me than functionality e-commerce has had for decades now.”
The launch coincides with Amazon’s Spring Sale, offering discounts across various categories. “Interests” is currently available to a limited number of U.S. customers through the Amazon Shopping app and its mobile website, with plans for broader rollout in the coming months. Those with early access will find the feature under the “Me” tab within the Amazon Shopping app.
