Amazon has a new shopping tool that uses AI to help customers quickly find products based on the specific features they need. AI-powered “Shopping Guides” are now rolling out in the US on Amazon’s mobile site and apps for iOS and Android, providing users with tailored product information and recommendations as they browse.
Amazon said in its announcement that AI advisors are available for over 100 product types, including TVs, headphones, running shoes, skincare and more. According to Amazon, in addition to customer insights, they will also contain “educational content” about these products to “help make informed purchasing decisions.”
For example, if you select a headphones buying guide, you'll see a selection of products recommended based on popularity, customer reviews, and price. Below are selectable “Factors to Consider” options that can be used to separate products into specific categories by brand, use case (sports, gaming, student), or connectivity type (wired, wireless, USB).
It's essentially a more visual way to filter products compared to the detailed selection menus we're used to. It's designed to help users better understand what features are available for products they know little about and what those features actually mean, rather than just being presented with a flood of options. However, the interface takes up a lot more space on your screen and it's not clear if users can disable the feature if it becomes annoying.
The AI shopping guides will automatically appear for autocomplete suggestions in search “when appropriate,” according to Amazon, or can be searched directly here to see which guides are available. When you click the “Continue Shopping” card on the Amazon homepage, you will also see AI shopping guides that point to recent shopping activity.