Amazon’s Alexa+ can do your grocery shopping 🛒

Another AI assistant with agentic capabilities? Yep, the AI shopping race is heating up 🔥! Remember when we talked about OpenAI’s Operator automating shopping tasks? Well, Alexa+ just pulled up to the party 🎉—and it’s not alone.

Hey there, and welcome to the 26th issue of The Ecom Press 🗞️!

Today, we’re diving into how Alexa+ is making grocery shopping feel like a casual chat, how Walmart is leveraging AI to optimize backend operations, and how eBay is stepping up its game with new UX updates to enhance the shopping experience 🤩.

Let’s get into it, already—there’s a lot to unpack 🏃!

In a rush? Here's the juice🤭:

🛒 Amazon’s Alexa+ can do your grocery shopping.

🛍️ eBay makes updates for faster and easier local shopping.

🤖 Walmart launches internal AI tool to optimize inventory.

🚀 Ecom Strategies: How to Test-Launch a New Brand or Product

⚡️Worthy Mentions

🛒 Amazon’s Alexa+ can do your grocery shopping. 

Amazon is taking a major leap in AI-driven ecommerce with the launch of Alexa+, a more powerful and conversational version of its smart assistant. While Alexa has long been capable of adding groceries to a list, this upgrade turns it into a full-fledged shopping companion.

Here’s the lowdown ⬇️:

🍟 Shop Groceries in Real-Time: Alexa+ allows users to build a grocery list in a fluid, back-and-forth conversation. For example, saying, “Add everything for banana bread—except spices,” automatically compiles the list, adjusting on the fly if needed.

🧰 Seamless Integration with Amazon Fresh & Partners: The new Alexa+ grocery feature works with Amazon Fresh and other partner stores, including Uber Eats, allowing users to place and track grocery orders effortlessly.

🤖 AI-Powered Recommendations: Beyond just taking orders, Alexa+ can suggest meals based on context. If a five-year-old is visiting, it might recommend kid-friendly pasta dishes.

🛍️ A Smarter, More Personalized Alexa Byeong Shopping: Outside of grocery shopping, Alexa+ boasts generative AI capabilities that help with schedules, book reservations, notify users about event tickets, and even summarize security footage from Ring cameras. The assistant understands tone, preferences, and past interactions for a more human-like experience.

💸 Cost & Availability: Alexa+ rolls out in March, costing $19.99 per month, but Prime members get it for free.

Why it matters 🤨

Remember when OpenAI introduced Operator, its AI agent capable of handling everything from browsing to grocery shopping? Now, with Amazon rolling out Alexa+, AI-driven commerce isn’t just a concept; it’s becoming a reality. 

But if AI starts handling shopping lists, making product recommendations, and finalizing purchases, where does that leave traditional brand discovery and customer engagement? In the end, who gets to control the buying journey? 

🛍️ eBay makes updates for faster and easier local shopping.

eBay is making shopping faster and easier by rolling out new tools that help customers find fast-shipping items and local listings more efficiently. Leveraging AI, eBay now provides more accurate delivery estimates while also streamlining search filters for a smoother browsing experience.

Here are the deets ⬇️: 

🤖 AI-Enhanced Delivery Estimates: eBay’s global seller network has long made delivery predictions tricky. Now, AI helps refine shipping estimates based on factors like customer location, seller history, and real-time data, ensuring more precise expectations for buyers.

🔍 Improved Search & Filtering for Fast Shipping: Shoppers can now easily find items with fast delivery times through the newly introduced "Shipping and Pickup" filter. This lets buyers:

• Filter for fast-shipping items (2-4 days in the U.S., 1-3 days in the UK & Germany)

• Locate items available for local pickup

• See precise driving distances for local purchases

🇩🇪 eBay Top-Service Badge in Germany: To improve trust, eBay has launched the eBay Top-Service badge to highlight listings that meet high retail standards, such as fast & free shipping, easy returns, and trusted sellers. This replaces confusing labels like "eBay Plus" and "eBay Garantie" for a simplified shopping experience.

Why it matters 🤔

For ecommerce to thrive, seamless user experience and fulfillment transparency must work together to drive customer loyalty and conversions. With eBay refining local shopping and prioritizing faster delivery, sellers who optimize fulfillment and maintain high ratings could see better visibility in search results and stronger buyer trust, making it crucial to maintain strong fulfillment practices.

🤖 Walmart launches internal AI tool to optimize inventory.

Walmart has introduced Wally, a generative AI tool designed to help its merchandising team analyze sales, pricing, and inventory in seconds. Instead of spending hours compiling reports, merchants can now use a conversational interface to instantly retrieve data and make faster, more informed decisions.

Here’s the scoop 🍨:

📊 AI-Powered Merchandising Insights: Wally acts as a real-time analytics assistant, allowing merchants to instantly retrieve sales data, pricing trends, and stock availability. Instead of relying on pre-scheduled reports, they can get up-to-the-minute insights and make informed decisions on the fly.

⏳ Slashing Hours of Manual Work: Previously, Walmart’s merchants had to manually gather data across multiple categories—analyzing product sales across different regions, brands, and store locations. Wally automates this process, cutting down what once took hours into seconds, freeing up time for more strategic planning.

📦 Smarter Inventory & Pricing Adjustments: Stock mismanagement—whether overstocking or out-of-stock issues—can mean lost revenue. Wally identifies products that need immediate price adjustments or restocking, helping merchants keep inventory at optimal levels while avoiding unnecessary markdowns.

💬 A Conversational Data Assistant: Unlike traditional data tools, Wally doesn’t require merchants to input rigid search queries. Whether they ask for “top-selling TV brands this month” or “pricing trends for sneakers in Texas,” Wally understands industry jargon and delivers precise reports in an easy-to-read format.

🛠 AI Accuracy Checks & Ongoing Improvements: To ensure reliable responses, Walmart has developed an AI-powered evaluation system that cross-checks Wally’s data against internal benchmarks. Additionally, Walmart’s team actively reviews merchant feedback, making improvements based on real-world usage.

Why it matters 🤷‍♂️

AI in ecommerce often makes headlines for its customer-facing applications, but backend automation like Wally could really help reshape retail and ecommerce operations at scale. Faster inventory management and dynamic pricing decisions could mean better product availability and competitive pricing for consumers. 

🛎️ The Ecom Press Insider

Ecom Fact: A recent study found that TikTok ads deliver the highest short-term ROI, generating nearly 12 times their initial investment in sales revenue within just six weeks—making it one of the most effective platforms for short-term ROI. With a benchmark ROI of 11.8, TikTok ranks among the top media channels for driving immediate sales (Source: Dentsu Study).

If speed is the name of the game, TikTok is playing to win. Of course, some extra dollars will help with rapid conversions on this channel, but remember that virality alone won’t cut it; pair it with smart creative and a strong offer to maximize returns 🚀.

🚀 Ecom Strategies: How to Test-Launch a New Brand or Product

Launching a new product without testing? That’s like diving into the deep end without checking if there’s water. Before you go all in, a strategic test-launch can save you time, money, and a whole lot of headaches. Here’s how to do it right:

1. Set Up a High-Converting Landing Page 🖥️: You don’t need a finished product to start. Create a landing page or simple website that clearly explains your product’s benefits, how it works, and why it’s better than competitors. Whether you collect emails, pre-orders, or actual sales, this step will validate demand before you commit to full production.

2. Drive Traffic the Smart Way 🚦: No traffic = no data. Use organic channels (TikTok, Reddit, forums) to tap into existing conversations or invest in paid ads ($5K-$25K budget) to see how real customers respond. Testing different creative angles, messaging, and problem-solution storytelling is key.

3. Build a Conversion-Ready Email Flow 📩: Once someone signs up or buys, don’t leave them hanging. Send a quick follow-up email to build excitement, share product details, and (if needed) refund pre-orders with a note about the official launch. Prompting replies can also help boost email deliverability and engagement.

4. Leverage Creator & Affiliate Marketing 🤳: Once your product is real, get creators involved for fresh content across ads, social media, and your website. Consider TikTok Shop affiliates to drive low-cost traffic and build early buzz.

5. Test Founder-Style Ads 📹: Highly produced ads aren’t always necessary. A simple, authentic video—you, your phone, and a quick pitch—can be one of the most effective ways to connect with customers and encourage sign-ups or pre-orders. Keep it real and to the point.

Too many brands spend big money on launches only to realize later that demand wasn’t there. Test first, refine second, and launch with confidence. A smart test-launch isn’t just about validation—it’s about learning, improving, and making sure your product lands with impact 🚀.

⚡️Worthy Mentions

• OpenAI unveils GPT-4.5 Orion, its largest and most advanced AI model. 

• Instagram explores Reels as a standalone app in bid to challenge TikTok.

• Trump tariffs spark price hikes as Target and Best Buy prepare consumers for higher costs.

• Walmart expands same-day delivery to reach 93% of U.S. households.

• Etsy tests an LLM to predict buyer preferences more accurately.

Wrapping up…

Another week, another leap forward in AI reshaping how we shop and sell 🤖.

Predictive AI and generative AI have already made their mark, but agentic AI? That’s a whole new playing field, and we’re just getting started 🧗.

What’s next? Only time will tell! For now, stay curious, stay ahead, and we’ll catch you next week, same time, same place 🥳. 

PS: Hit that subscribe button if you haven’t already⛷️!