Buy for Me: Amazon’s New AI Shopping Agent Will Shop Third-party Sites for You

In April 2025, Amazon introduced “Buy for Me” - Its newest venture in the world of agentic AI. If Amazon does not sell an item you are looking for, this AI agent will help you shop across third-party brand websites. It's like having a savvy personal assistant who knows what you want and where to find it. Browsing on autopilot, “Buy for Me” saves you from endless googling and hopping between tabs.

Amazon is the latest company to launch this AI shopping agent, stepping into a space already explored by its rivals, like OpenAI and Perplexity. While Amazon already dominates as the top destination for online shopping, with 40.9% of US retail e-commerce sales in 2024 and 56% of consumers starting their product searches on Amazon, the launch of “Buy for Me” positions it to go even further, empowering Amazon to assist users in shopping beyond its marketplace.

What is “Buy for Me” and Why Did Amazon Introduce It?

“Buy for Me” is Amazon’s latest AI-powered shopping assistant designed to go beyond Amazon's borders. It is far better and more intelligent than your average recommendation engine. If a user looks for an item that Amazon does not sell, its “Buy for Me” feature surfaces the item from other brand websites and purchases it for them. However, this beta feature is available for selected US citizens who regularly use the Amazon Shopping app on iOS or Android devices.

Amazon’s “Buy for Me” feature isn’t about making money on every transaction. It earns nothing directly from third-party sales, no product margins or seller commissions. Then what encouraged Amazon to make this move?

Let’s explore the hidden goals Amazon considers more valuable than money!

To keep shoppers in the Amazon ecosystem.
The "Buy for Me” AI agent emphasizes Amazon’s goal to reduce app-switching. Amazon app will rule all other platforms, allowing users to buy from other websites while staying within its ecosystem.

To expand product availability without inventory.
Though Amazon covers over 30 product categories, it still lacks several niche or DTC (Direct-To-Consumer) brand offerings. By introducing this new AI agent, Amazon can ensure product availability without warehousing or listing every SKU.

To win customers’ trust and retention.
It simplifies the shopping journey for its customers as they don’t need to switch apps. Users get more product choices. Instead of saying, "Sorry, we don't sell that." Amazon now says We'll get it for you." It makes Amazon more useful, reliable, convenient, and trustworthy as users get what they want, even if Amazon does not stock it—a strategic move to retain customers.

To get data insights and a competitive edge.
Buy for Me enables Amazon to observe user behavior and gather valuable information. Hence, the tech giant can have increased visibility in consumer preferences.

Amazon can learn

• What products users are searching for but can't find on Amazon?
• Which brands and categories are in demand?
• What price points, styles, or features are driving interest?

This data insight helps Amazon adjust inventory strategies and fill catalog gaps. By letting users shop third-party sites without leaving the Amazon app, this Tech giant prevents rivals (like Google Shopping, OpenAI’s AI agents, or Walmart) from gaining the same user signals. With this competitive edge, Amazon is positioning itself not just as an online store but as the ultimate AI-powered shopping assistant—faster, more intelligent, and more connected than its rivals.

To fuel Amazon’s Ad targeting power.
Some industry experts on LinkedIn believe that Amazon’s “Buy for Me” is an advertising play. By gathering data about purchases made on third-party websites, Amazon provides its ad system (DSP) with helpful insight. It helps DSP transform hidden purchase actions into explicit trackable signals and run targeted ads to expand its consumer base.

How Does the “Buy for Me” Mechanism Work?

This new AI shopping feature leverages state-of-the-art agentic AI technologies. Let’s explore its complete mechanism!

Foundation: Amazon Bedrock + AI Models
Amazon’s “Buy for Me” is built on Amazon Bedrock, a robust, fully managed, serverless platform that gives access to various foundation models via a unified API. Amazon's own Nova AI models (including Nova Act) and the third-party model, "Anthropic's Claude," work together to satisfy users with a seamless shopping experience. Nova and Claude are used for reasoning, while “Nova Act” is used for action. This strong foundation helps Amazon understand user intent, browse third-party websites, and securely complete purchases within the Amazon app.

Nova Act Browses & Makes A Purchase
Nova Act, introduced almost a week before unveiling “Buy for Me,” is an AI agent that can autonomously interact with web pages. When AI finds the product on a third-party website, Nova Act takes control of the task. Using atomic commands, it navigates the site interface. Mimicking human-like interaction to explore pages, it locates the correct item and proceeds to check out. It also fills in shipping and payment details using encrypted user information stored in the Amazon app.

In an early performance test of Perplexity’s AI shopping agent called “Shop Like a Pro,” TechCrunch noted that it often takes a long time to process user requests and frequently gets stuck. Perplexity's AI shopping agent failed after wasting three hours in its first attempt to purchase toothpaste from a third-party website. Its second attempt was successful in eight hours. Amazon claims its Nova Act model handles web navigation more reliably than its competitors. So, we can expect improved performance and fewer breakdowns during the shopping experience via “Buy for Me.”

Step-by-Step Shopping Workflow

Suppose you are looking for a gaming laptop under $1200. Here’s how “Buy for Me’ executes its purchase.

• Go to the Amazon app on your iOS or Android.
• Tap the search bar and type “Gaming laptop under $1200.”
• First, you will see regular Amazon listings.
• Scroll down to find a section labeled “Shop brand sites directly.” The items in this section will have a small "Buy for Me" badge underneath. These listings are pulled from third-party brand websites like Dell, Lenovo, or Razer.
• Select the laptop you like from the third-party site suggestions.
• Tap the “Buy for Me” button. Amazon will display all the product info right inside the app.
• Once you select the item, you will be taken to an Amazon checkout page to confirm the order.
• Once you confirm it, Amazon’s AI shopping agent will securely fill in your name, address, and payment details
• Then, this AI agent will make a purchase and navigate the brand’s checkout page.
• You will get an order confirmation email from the brand you shopped for.
• You can track your order inside the Amazon app under “Buy for Me Orders.”

Privacy & User Trust

Amazon’s “Buy for Me” benefits from AWS-grade encryption to safeguard your privacy throughout the shopping experience. This AI shopping agent completes a transaction without exposing your personal and payment details to the third-party site. They only get the information necessary to process the transaction without retaining your full credit card or account data. This unique approach sets Amazon’s “Buy for Me” apart from its rivals, i.e., OpenAI's, Google's, and Perplexity's AI shopping agents that rely on human users to complete payments through manual input or third-party cards like PayPal.
Amazon also claims it neither tracks your browsing nor stores your purchase history on other sites.

How Does It Work Regarding Pricing?

• Not a Deal Comparator: It is a false belief that Amazon’s “Buy for Me” scans multiple stores to compare prices and picks the best deal for you. In fact, this feature just helps make your online shopping smoother. It shows products from third-party websites when Amazon doesn't stock them. You tap it because you want that exact item, not because it’s the most economical deal available.
• No Fees or Markup: Currently, Amazon is not charging any fee or markup for using this AI shopping agent. It simply lists the actual price as mentioned on the third-party brand website.

“Buy for Me”: Users’ Concerns

• Trust Issue:
  Handing over your credit card information to an AI, occasionally prone to hallucination, prevents some users from using Amazon's "Buy for Me” feature.

• No Amazon-backed Support
  If something goes wrong and you have to return the product, “Buy for Me” will not support you. You will have to deal with the brand websites you made a purchase with. The lack of support for Amazon-backed return or refund policy may deter users from embracing this feature.

Final Thoughts

Being in a beta version and limited to selected users, Amazon’s “Buy for Me” has limited user feedback. Many questions around reliability, efficiency, and long-term user experience are unanswered.

At this testing phase, we can neither call it flawless nor failed. However, one thing is sure: this AI shopping agent represents a giant leap into the future of online shopping. This move has strengthened Amazon’s dominance in e-commerce and marks machine-led shopping as a defining trend in retail’s evolution.