Alexa, buy me the pizza I just saw in that commercial.
Amazon will harness agentic AI, which can determine the steps needed to solve a problem or come up with a solution, to create a new ad format for its Alexa digital assistant that lets customers to from seeing an ad to making a purchase without having to take another step, like using a QR code or a smartphone. The new format lets users order food or buy concert tickets all via a conversation with Alexa.
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The technology is dubbed “Alexa+ Agentic Ads,” and Amazon has struck partnerships with Papa Johns for food ordering and artists Beck, Jill Scott, and Omar Courtz that will allow the purchase of tickets to their upcoming shows. Amazon expects to unveil new alliances with other advertisers in the future.
The new technology “enables purchase completion within the ad itself without ever leaving the conversation with Alexa,” says Charlotte Maines, vice president of content and advertising for Alexa, during a recent interview, “and it lets you go beyond buying products to exploring experiences.”
“We’re trying to open this up to as many customers as possible,” she adds. “Anybody who might show up in an organic search could also choose to purchase this ad product and ensure they get discovered versus hope.”
Customers who view an ad via Amazon products like an Echo, will be able to ask questions, review options, and complete purchases, all by talking to Alexa. The technology already features several different kinds of advertising, and Amazon views its most recent innovation as an addition to that suite of products.