Alexa+ Updates: Amazon Adds Delivery Tracking & Gift Ideas

Amazon Enhances Alexa+ with Expanded Shopping Capabilities

For a considerable period, Amazon has faced the challenge of increasing purchasing activity through its Echo smart speakers. Despite initial expectations, users weren't consistently leveraging the Alexa voice assistant for shopping. However, the technology company continues to pursue this objective.

New Features for Alexa+ in the US and Canada

The Alexa+ AI assistant is receiving a suite of new, shopping-focused features in both the United States and Canada, beginning today. These enhancements include a dedicated shopping hub, tools for easily adding items to previous orders, and tailored product recommendations.

Amazon has been actively developing features to transform Alexa+ into a more effective shopping companion. This includes functionalities like automated price monitoring and automatic reordering capabilities.

Automated Deal Tracking and Purchases

The automated deal tracking feature enables users to instruct Alexa to notify them when the price of items in their cart or list falls below a specified threshold. Furthermore, when combined with automatic purchases, Alexa can instantly place an order when the desired price is reached.

Introducing the "Shopping Essentials" Experience

Amazon is now transforming Echo devices equipped with screens – specifically the Echo Show 15 and Echo Show 21 – into comprehensive shopping hubs. This is achieved through a new interface called “Shopping Essentials.”

This dashboard provides Amazon shoppers with real-time delivery tracking, detailed information about recent purchases, reminders for essential household items needing replenishment, and convenient access to their shopping lists and saved products.

The screen interface also allows shoppers to tap on products for more details and directly add items to their cart for checkout.

Accessing the New Shopping Features

Users can initiate the new experience by simply saying, “Alexa, where’s my stuff?” or “Open Shopping Essentials.” A shopping widget will soon be available for addition to the Echo device’s home screen as well.

Enhanced Delivery Management

A new feature now available allows Alexa device owners to add items to an existing delivery up until the point the shipment leaves the warehouse. This functionality mirrors a recent addition to Amazon’s website and app, though it was previously unavailable on Alexa devices.

Personalized Gift Recommendations

Alexa+ is also gaining the ability to provide gift recommendations. Users can describe the recipient or the occasion, and Alexa+ will display relevant product suggestions on the screen, categorized for easy browsing.

Alexa+ Availability and User Retention

Amazon reports that Alexa+ is currently accessible to “tens of millions” of customers. These new features are live for users located in the U.S. and Canada. Despite some user feedback, the company states that the number of users reverting to the AI-free interface remains quite low.