Amazon Alexa can now alert you when something new might tempt you to shop

Amazon continues to experiment with how AI can be used to improve the shopping experience, resulting in Tuesday’s launch of a new feature within its Alexa for Shopping AI assistant called “Update Me When.” This latest addition can send consumers personalized notifications when something new or relevant happens that could lead to a purchase.

For instance, Amazon suggests people could use the feature to track when a favorite brand launches a new product line, when a new season of a favorite TV show drops, when an artist they like announces a concert tour, when an author they read releases a new book, when a tech company releases a new product, and more.

The launch is one of several AI-powered shopping features that Amazon highlighted on Tuesday, many of which point to a broader shift in the company’s AI strategy. Historically, Alexa has mainly answered product questions when shoppers ask directly; now, it can help anticipate when something might prompt a user to make a purchase — before the shopper even thinks to ask.

While initially, consumers have to configure these alerts directly, it’s not hard to imagine a future where Amazon automatically generates alerts or where it may suggest alerts for shoppers to subscribe to as they browse favorite products.