Amazon just changed the e-commerce game again—and this time, it’s by using AI to reach beyond its own platform.
I’ve been closely watching developments in AI-powered shopping agents, and Amazon's new feature, “Buy for Me,” immediately caught my attention. This isn’t just another smart assistant; it’s a full-on shopping agent that browses third-party websites, finds what I’m looking for, and even handles the checkout—without me ever leaving the Amazon app.
What Exactly Is "Buy for Me"?
Amazon has started testing “Buy for Me” with a select group of users. If I search for a product Amazon doesn’t carry, the feature pulls in listings from other websites and lets me purchase them directly through the Amazon Shopping app. That’s a massive step forward—and a clear signal that Amazon wants to dominate e-commerce on a whole new level.
How Does It Work?
Here’s where it gets really interesting. Amazon’s AI agent will:
- Visit the external site.
- Select the product I choose.
- Autonomously fill out my name, shipping address, and payment info.
- Securely process the transaction on my behalf.
All this is done using Amazon’s in-house Nova AI models, and reportedly, support from Anthropic’s Claude. One of these models, Nova Act, was just unveiled earlier this week and has autonomous web navigation capabilities. Amazon says everything is encrypted, so it can’t even see what I'm buying from other platforms.
Why This Is a Big Deal
I’ve tested AI shopping tools from OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity. They’re fascinating, but clunky—requiring manual credit card input or limited to prepaid setups. Amazon, on the other hand, is going all-in on trust and convenience. It’s aiming to make sure I never have to leave its app, even if it doesn’t sell what I need.
But let’s be real—trusting AI to make purchases on my behalf is a bold move. What if it buys the wrong thing? What if there's an issue with returns? Amazon says if there’s a problem with the order, it will direct me to the third-party retailer where the purchase was made.
That makes sense, but it’s also a shift in how we interact with online shopping. We’re giving up some control in exchange for next-level convenience.
This is a classic Amazon move: use AI to make the user experience so seamless that people don’t even notice they’re interacting with third-party ecosystems. If this works, Amazon won’t just be the default online store—it’ll be the gateway to the entire internet’s retail world.
But we’re not there yet. AI shopping agents, even Amazon’s, still have limitations. They can hallucinate, they can make mistakes, and they often lag when processing more complex tasks. That said, this is clearly where the future is heading, and Amazon just made the biggest leap.
Honestly? I’m intrigued. I wouldn’t hand over my credit card details to just any AI—but this is Amazon. If they deliver on speed, accuracy, and security, I might actually let “Buy for Me” handle the boring parts of online shopping. It's still early, and I’m watching this rollout closely.
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