Amazon and Walmart expand AI shopping assistants ahead of holidays

· Retail & E-commerce · United States

Amazon added more than 100 new functions to its Alexa for Shopping assistant, while Walmart ramped up capabilities for its Sparky AI assistant, both timed to the holiday shopping season. Amazon's additions include managing subscriptions, resolving billing questions, and creating and editing lists and registries. Walmart's new features include visual recognition and cart generation, aimed at easing the pain of shopping both online and in stores. The parallel rollouts show the two largest US retailers betting that conversational assistants can cut friction in product discovery and post-purchase service. For merchants and brands selling on these platforms, the shift could change how shoppers find products and how customer-service requests are routed.

Why it matters：AI shopping assistants are moving from novelty to core storefront infrastructure, which could reshape product discovery and customer service for every brand selling online.

Key points

  • Amazon added over 100 Alexa for Shopping functions.
  • New Amazon capabilities include subscription management and list editing.
  • Walmart's Sparky gains visual recognition and cart generation.

Sources (original reporting)

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