Amazon's new Merchant Workspace lets outside stores link up so Alexa for Shopping can show their products, and shoppers get sent to those stores to buy.
Amazon is opening a door for stores that are not part of its own marketplace. Announced Wednesday, Nov. 4, the Shop Direct Merchant Workspace lets any eligible merchant register and link their store. Their products can then be found by people using Alexa for Shopping, Amazon's AI shopping assistant, as well as on Amazon's website and app.
Shop Direct started last February. It lets a customer who asks for a brand or product that Amazon does not sell buy it from another store. The new workspace is the tool merchants use to take part. They can submit product feeds, which are lists of the items they sell, and manage their participation. They can also see which of their products are active and available to Amazon customers.
A shopper who wants to learn more or buy taps the Shop Direct button on the product page. That sends them to the merchant's own store to see product details and finish the purchase. Amazon says it will notify customers that they have left its site. The sale happens on the merchant's site, not on Amazon's.
Amanda Doerr, an Amazon vice president of core shopping, said customers increasingly see Amazon and Alexa for Shopping as the place to start shopping, whether the item is in Amazon's store or elsewhere. She said the workspace lets merchants use catalogs they have already built for other shopping sites.
Last week, Amazon added more than 100 new shopping actions to Alexa for Shopping, such as creating and editing grocery lists and baby registries. On the earnings call, CEO Andy Jassy said few consumers use AI agents to shop. He said Alexa for Shopping "is going to be the primary shopping agent customers use to shop Amazon."
A PYMNTS Intelligence report found Amazon accounts for 29% of research starts, 49% of main purchase completion and 59% of the most recent AI-assisted purchase.
The material does not say what Amazon charges merchants, what makes a merchant eligible, or how stores will be ranked in Alexa's answers. Those details matter for any business weighing whether to sign up.
If you shop through Alexa, notice when Amazon says you have left its site, and confirm the store before you pay.
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