Amazon is launching a new feature for US customers called ‘Buy For me.’ It will take advantage of AI to power your search within the Amazon Shopping app. When searching for a product Amazon does not have, it will still list it in the search results and let you know they are from 3rd party sellers. It can potentially be a great system where niche products can be sold. Amazon has developed a landing page that quickly outlines how the beta program works.
Here is how it works. When customers tap on an item that says Buy for Me in search results listed under ‘Shop brand sites directly,’ they are taken to a product detail page within the Amazon Shopping app. This page provides relevant product information, similar to product detail pages for items Amazon sells, so customers can learn more about the product to help them decide if they want to buy it from the brand retailer’s website.
If a customer decides to proceed with a Buy for Me purchase, they tap on the Buy for Me button on the product detail page to request Amazon make the purchase from the brand retailer’s website on their behalf. Customers are taken to an Amazon checkout page where they confirm order details, including preferred delivery address, applicable taxes and shipping fees, and payment method. Using agentic AI capabilities, Amazon purchases by securely providing the customer’s encrypted name, address, and payment details to complete the checkout process on the brand’s website. Amazon cannot see customers’ previous or separate orders from other brands’ sites.
Once Amazon purchases on a customer’s behalf, the customer will receive an order confirmation email from the brand store and be able to track their order via Your Orders in the Buy for Me Orders tab in the Amazon Shopping app. The brand store manages delivery, returns and exchanges, and customer service, and customers can contact the store with any questions regarding their order.
Orders placed from third-party websites do not qualify for the AZ system, which allows for easy refunds. Amazon will tell users to contact the brands individually.
Buy for Me is currently live in the Amazon Shopping app on both iOS and Android for a subset of U.S. customers. Amazon will begin testing with a limited number of brand stores and products, with plans to roll out to more customers and incorporate more brand stores in the future.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.