Amazon adds auto‑ordering, price tracking and Shopping Essentials to Alexa+

Amazon has expanded Alexa+ with several new shopping features aimed at making purchases more seamless. Highlights include a price‑tracking tool that can automatically place an order when a product falls below a user‑set target price, a Shopping Essentials dashboard for Echo Show 15 and 21, personalized gift recommendations and the ability to add last‑minute items to orders before they ship.

The price tracker watches items in your cart, wishlist or saved searches and — if you opt in — will use your default payment method and delivery address to complete the purchase once the price condition is met. The Shopping Essentials view on compatible Echo Show devices provides quick access to recent orders, delivery tracking, suggested household reorders and tappable product cards for fast checkout.

Key features

• Auto‑order price tracking: set a target price and Alexa+ can automatically buy items when they hit that threshold (opt‑in required).
• Shopping Essentials (Echo Show 15 & 21): order status, saved items, suggested reorders and a touch‑friendly shopping panel.
• Personalized recommendations: tell Alexa+ about a special occasion or recipient and get curated gift ideas.
• Last‑minute add‑ons: add accessories or essentials to an existing order up until it leaves the warehouse.

Convenience vs. risks

These features are useful for frequent shoppers and deal hunters, but they raise clear trade‑offs. Auto‑ordering tied to your default payment method increases convenience — and the risk of unwanted purchases if controls aren’t strict. Privacy and data use are also relevant: personalized recommendations and automated shopping depend on Amazon’s access to your purchase history and preferences.

If you plan to use price‑tracking auto‑orders, consider setting spend limits, multi‑step confirmations, or notifications before purchase. Also check your account’s payment and shipping defaults so you know exactly how orders will be placed.

Why Amazon is pushing shopping into Alexa+

Amazon benefits from keeping more of the shopping journey inside its ecosystem: by enabling voice and screen purchases, it reduces friction and discourages third‑party agents from completing transactions on competing platforms. The company has also limited third‑party AI agents from making purchases on its platform, making Alexa+ a preferred channel for automated transactions.

For more details, see Amazon’s Alexa pages: Amazon Alexa, and reporting on the new features: coverage.

Discussion: Would you let Alexa+ auto‑order items when they hit your target price — or does automated purchasing feel too risky? What safeguards would make you comfortable using these features?