Amazon Tests AI-Powered 'Buy for Me' to Shop Other Retailers

Amazon has launched a new beta feature called Buy for Me, allowing customers to use the Amazon Shopping app to purchase select items directly from third-party brand websites—even if the item isn’t available on Amazon itself.

The feature, now live for a subset of U.S. users on iOS and Android, is designed to expand shopping convenience and selection by integrating agentic AI to make purchases on behalf of customers from participating brand stores.

“We’ve created Buy for Me to help customers quickly and easily find and buy products from other brand stores if we don’t currently sell those items in our store,” said Oliver Messenger, Amazon’s shopping director. “This new feature uses agentic AI to help customers seamlessly purchase from other brands within the familiar Amazon Shopping app, while also giving brands increased exposure and seamless conversion.”

How It Works

The Buy for Me option appears in Amazon’s search results under a new section labeled “Shop brand sites directly.” When available, customers can:

• Tap the item to open a product page within the Amazon app, showing information similar to Amazon’s listings.

• Request Amazon to purchase the item on their behalf using secure, encrypted data.

• Confirm purchase details in an Amazon checkout screen, including shipping, tax, and payment info.

• After Amazon completes the purchase, customers receive a confirmation email from the brand and customers can track the order in the Buy for Me tab of the Amazon app.

• All delivery, returns, and customer service are handled by the brand retailer, not Amazon.

• Amazon does not have access to customers’ past or separate orders made directly on brand websites.

• When using 'Buy for Me,' Amazon displays an estimated total that includes the item price, taxes, and shipping. Customers agree to proceed with the purchase if the final total is within $10 of that estimate. If the price exceeds the estimate by more than $10, Amazon will notify the customer and request confirmation before completing the order.

Powered by Agentic AI

The feature runs on Amazon Bedrock, leveraging Amazon Nova and Anthropic’s Claude models to execute purchases autonomously with minimal user input. Agentic AI allows the Amazon app to act as a secure shopping assistant, completing transactions on external sites without users needing to visit or navigate them manually.

Amazon does not have access to customers’ past or separate orders made directly on brand websites. For 'Buy for Me' purchases, Amazon only shares the customer’s encrypted name, shipping address, payment details, and a unique email address—strictly the information needed to complete the order securely on the brand’s site.

Brands also have the choice to opt into the program, potentially increasing their visibility and sales through Amazon’s platform.

Key Limitations and FAQs

• Promo codes are not supported during checkout.

• One item per order is currently supported.

• Customers agree to pay the item’s estimated total or up to $10 more; if it exceeds that, Amazon asks for confirmation.

• Customer data is securely encrypted and shared only as needed to complete a purchase.

• Returns and questions are managed by the brand, not Amazon.

Brand participation is currently limited to the beta phase. Brands interested in joining can contact Amazon at [email protected].

What This Means

Amazon’s “Buy for Me” marks a bold shift toward becoming a meta-shopping platform—one that consolidates e-commerce experiences even when the retailer doesn’t carry the product. By acting as a seamless purchasing layer across external sites, Amazon deepens its customer loyalty while opening the door to new partnerships with brands outside its ecosystem.

For Amazon, this could be the beginning of a broader strategy to compete with search-based shopping engines and affiliate platforms by embedding AI agents directly into the shopping flow.

For users, especially those used to Amazon’s ease of use, this feature removes the friction of visiting unfamiliar retailer sites, entering payment info, or creating new accounts. It combines convenience and control, letting users manage all purchases—Amazon or not—through a single, trusted interface.

It also signals Amazon's growing investment in AI-driven commerce, where intelligent agents will increasingly handle tasks like product discovery, purchase, and tracking with minimal customer effort.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.