Amazon announced on May 27, 2026 that it is licensing the technology behind Alexa for Shopping through Amazon Web Services, enabling retailers like Kate Spade to build AI shopping chatbots in as little as 60 days. Amazon rebranded its e-commerce chatbot from Rufus to Alexa for Shopping earlier in May 2026. Kate Spade used the service to launch a gifting assistant, and additional retailers are testing the platform.
Amazon AI shopping assistant licensing
- ▪Amazon rebranded its e-commerce chatbot from Rufus to Alexa for Shopping earlier in May 2026
- ▪Amazon enabled Alexa for Shopping by default in search queries on its store in May 2026
- ▪Amazon announced on May 27, 2026 that Amazon is licensing the architecture, starter code, and learnings from Alexa for Shopping to other retailers
- ▪Amazon's AI shopping assistant licensing service is being offered through Amazon Web Services
- ▪Amazon's new AI shopping service allows retailers to launch their own AI shopping tools tailored to their storefront, catalog, and branding in as little as 60 days
Kate Spade partnership
- ▪Kate Spade used Amazon's AI shopping assistant service to launch a gifting assistant
- ▪Additional retailers beyond Kate Spade are currently testing Amazon's AI shopping assistant licensing service
- ▪Kate Spade, a Tapestry-owned luxury fashion brand, signed up as a customer for Amazon's AI shopping assistant licensing service
Competitive AI shopping landscape
- ▪Walmart, Target, Etsy, Gap, and eBay have built their own AI shopping tools while also partnering with OpenAI and Google
- ▪Salesforce has pitched services to help retailers launch chatbots or agents on their sites
- ▪OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity have rolled out research tools and agents for shopping
- ▪Some AI shopping efforts by OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity have stumbled due to technical bugs or challenges with onboarding retailers
- ▪Amazon has been using homegrown artificial intelligence technology to help users compare products and buy or reorder items on their behalf
Amazon's build-versus-partner strategy
- ▪Amazon built a feature called Buy for Me that can make purchases for users on other retailers' websites
- ▪Amazon has been reluctant to partner with rival AI platforms, opting instead to focus on building internal tools like Alexa for Shopping
- ▪Amazon has walled off its site from being scraped by external agents
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