Ready to send Alexa+ bargain hunting with your credit card? That’s the idea behind the latest shopping feature for the revamped and AI-enhanced Alexa, who you can now snap up deals for you the moment she spots them.
Launching today, Alexa+’s new “auto-buy” feature does pretty much what it says: It gives Alexa+ permission to buy items from Amazon on its own, using your default payment method.
The way it works is simple: Just ask Alexa+ about an item available for sale on Amazon. Personally, I’m thinking about snagging a new Sonos Era 100 speaker for my new apartment, so I asked Alexa+ how much it costs. The current price: $219, quite a bit more than I’m willing to pay.
Now, if the Sonos Era 100 ever fell to $100, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. So I gave Alexa+ a little task: “Alexa, put the Sonos Era 100 on my auto-buy list for $100.” (I doubt the Sonos Era 100 would ever get a discount that steep, but you never know, right?)
“Perfect,” Alexa said, “Your auto buy has been set up successfully.”
Now, Alexa+ has permission to buy that Sonos speaker the moment its sale price drops to $100 or less, without any further input from me.
If Alexa+ goes ahead and buys something on your auto-buy list, it will use your default payment method and shipping address. Once Alexa notifies you that it’s made an auto-buy purchase, you’ll have 24 hours to cancel it. Items on your auto-buy list will stay active for 30 days; after that, you’ll need to re-add them if you want Alexa+ to keep watching for the deal.
It’s a clever feature, although it also reminds me of the old Alexa’s shopping misadventures from years past—remember the kids who convinced Alexa to spent more than $150 on a dollhouse and cookies? Hopefully the new AI-infused Alexa won’t go on any unauthorized shopping sprees like that.
Other related Alexa+ shopping features launching today include automated deal tracking (“Let me know if the Dyzon cordless vacuum drops below $300”), as well as the ability for Alexa+ to offer personalized shopping suggestions for a friend or loved one with an upcoming special event (like a birthday).
Also, the Echo Show 15 and 21 are both getting a “Shopping Essentials” tool that tracks orders in real time.
This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.