Alexa Plus can automatically buy things when the price drops

Amazon is launching Alexa Plus shopping features that make it easier to track your orders and avoid missing out on deals. The AI-powered Alexa Plus assistant — like Amazon’s Rufus chatbot — can proactively track products to let you know when they drop to a certain price, and automatically purchase them when they fall below a certain threshold. You can now keep track of your purchases in a new shopping experience launching this week on Echo Show 15 and 21.

These Alexa Plus price tracking features, which were Announced in February It began rolling out to Alexa Plus users in June, and they can monitor products in your Amazon cart and wish list, or track specific items as instructed. For example, you could ask it to let you know if the price of a Dyson Supersonic hair dryer is under $300. The smart assistant can also be asked to automatically purchase items once they reach your desired price, using your default Amazon shipping address and payment option to complete the order.

These automatic purchase capabilities came Amazon’s Rufus AI chatbot last monthallowing people to use the same features found in the Amazon Shopping app. While it’s nice to have Alexa alert you about price drops on items in your basket, users should be wary of the feature ruining the gift-giving season for people in the same household.

A new shopping command center is available for Echo display 15 and Echo show 21which feels like an amalgamation of many existing tools. The Shopping Essentials experience displays your recent orders, real-time delivery tracking, shopping list, and saved items, along with suggested household essentials for repurchase. The feature can be activated by saying, “Alexa, where are my things?” Or “Open Shopping Essentials.” Amazon says Echo users will also be able to add a new shopping widget to their home screen “soon.”

Amazon says Alexa Plus will now prompt users to add additional items to incoming deliveries to ensure any last-minute purchases arrive faster, suggesting which products can be added to the shipment “until it leaves the warehouse.”

Another new shopping feature is that users can now use Alexa Plus to Personal gift suggestions. After you provide details about the person you’re shopping for or the event, Alexa Plus will generate personalized product recommendations, visually organized by category.