E-commerce giant Amazon is expanding its reach beyond its own marketplace with an innovative new AI-powered shopping assistant. The company has begun testing a feature that allows customers to purchase products from other retailers without ever leaving the Amazon app, potentially transforming how consumers interact with online shopping across the broader internet.
How Buy for Me Works
Amazon's new Buy for Me feature leverages what the company calls agentic AI to facilitate purchases from external brand websites directly through the Amazon Shopping app. When searching for products, users may now see a separate section labeled Shop brand sites directly alongside traditional Amazon marketplace results. For select items in this section, a Buy for Me option appears. After tapping on a product, users can review details and then initiate the purchase process. Amazon then handles the transaction by securely providing the customer's encrypted name, address, and payment information to complete checkout on the brand's website. The entire process happens within Amazon's familiar interface, creating a seamless shopping experience across multiple retailers.
Key Features of Amazon's "Buy for Me":
- Uses agentic AI to make purchases from external websites
- Integrated directly into Amazon Shopping app
- Available in beta for select US customers on iOS and Android
- Currently limited to specific brand stores and products
- Powered by Amazon's Nova AI system and Anthropic's Claude
- Orders can be tracked through dedicated "Buy for Me Orders" tab
- Brand stores handle delivery, returns, and customer service
Limited Availability During Beta Testing
Currently, Buy for Me is available only to a subset of US customers using iOS and Android devices. Amazon has implemented this controlled rollout to gather feedback before expanding the service. The beta test includes a limited selection of brand stores and products, though the company has indicated plans to incorporate more partners and merchandise based on customer response. This cautious approach allows Amazon to refine the service while addressing any potential issues before a wider release.
Technology Behind the Feature
The new functionality runs on Amazon's Nova AI system, which now includes models capable of performing actions within web browsers. Amazon has also partnered with Anthropic's Claude AI to power aspects of the service. This represents a significant advancement in AI shopping assistants, moving beyond simple recommendations to actually executing transactions across different websites. The technology must navigate various e-commerce platforms, understand checkout processes, and securely transfer customer information—all while maintaining privacy and security standards.
Order Management and Customer Support
After Amazon completes a purchase on a customer's behalf, the order confirmation comes directly from the brand store, not Amazon. Customers can track these external purchases through a dedicated Buy for Me Orders tab within the Amazon Shopping app's Your Orders section. However, it's important to note that delivery, returns, exchanges, and customer service for these purchases remain the responsibility of the brand store, not Amazon. This creates a hybrid shopping experience where Amazon facilitates discovery and payment but leaves post-purchase support to the original retailer.
Privacy Considerations
Amazon has emphasized privacy protections within the Buy for Me feature. The company states it cannot see customers' previous or separate orders from any brand's site, maintaining a separation between Amazon's data and users' direct relationships with other retailers. Customer information is encrypted when shared with external sites, addressing potential concerns about data security when shopping across multiple platforms through a single interface.
Strategic Implications for E-commerce
This move represents a significant shift in Amazon's approach to online retail. Rather than solely focusing on bringing sellers into its marketplace, Amazon is now positioning itself as a gateway to the broader e-commerce ecosystem. The strategy could potentially increase Amazon's relevance in product categories where it has less direct inventory while keeping customers within its app ecosystem. For consumers, the benefit is a more unified shopping experience across multiple retailers, though questions remain about how this might impact the competitive landscape of online retail in the long term.