If Amazon doesn’t carry a particular product a shopper is searching for, it will now serve as a proxy to find the item elsewhere. Shoppers can then either go directly to the brand’s website, or have Amazon facilitate the sale without the shopper having to leave the Amazon app. With the new “Buy for Me” feature, “Amazon’s AI is helping you complete a purchase in a quick, seamless, and convenient manner,” it explained.
Amazon announced the beta launch of Buy for Me feature in a post on April 3rd:
“While we already offer vast selection, we want to make it even easier for customers to find any product they want and need, so we’re testing a new feature, Buy for Me, in beta in the Amazon Shopping app. Buy for Me helps customers discover and seamlessly purchase select products from other brands’ sites if those items are not currently sold in Amazon’s store.
“Buy for Me is currently live in the Amazon Shopping app on both iOS and Android for a subset of U.S. customers. We will begin testing with a limited number of brand stores and products, with plans to roll out to more customers and incorporate more brand stores and products based on feedback.”
Buy for Me directs Amazon to make purchases by securely providing the brand’s website with shopper name, address, payment details, and contact information such as phone number and unique email address created for each order. Amazon receives back from the brand’s website the order information and provides it in the Amazon Shopping app under Your Orders.
Buy for Me does not offer Amazon’s usual buyer protection since the sale is between the shopper and the brand. That means Amazon’s return policy and A-to-Z guarantee do not apply to any purchases made by tapping Buy for Me.
In the Buy for Me Terms of Use, Amazon states in part, “we are acting as your agent when we place orders at your direction, and that the Brand is the seller of the products to you. You also acknowledge and agree that Amazon does not hold title to or have physical possession of any goods that you order through this Service, at any point before or during purchase or fulfilment.”
Amazon also states in the Buy for Me Terms of Use that it cannot input any discount codes during checkout, and no points will be accrued for shoppers who are members of brand rewards programs. In addition, “The orders you place using this Service will not appear in your account with the Brand.”
Amazon explained the new service to brands on a separate landing page:
“Customers can now discover brand products not currently available in Amazon’s store, and seamlessly shop from the Amazon Shopping app. Depending on the product, customers can either shop your brand’s site with the help of AI, or visit your brand’s site directly. Shipping, delivery, returns, exchanges, and customer service are managed directly by your brand.”
Amazon is testing the service with select brands for a subset of US customers in the Amazon Shopping app. Currently it’s an experiment, so “right now” brands do not have to pay, nor does Amazon get commissions from Buy for Me purchases.
Amazon also promises not to use the transaction information it collects “to make sourcing, inventory level, and pricing decisions for products in our store, including for offerings of Amazon’s store brand products.”
Brands who don’t wish to participate can contact Amazon at branddirect@amazon.com, and will get a response within 2 business days.
TechCrunch was skeptical about the AI (Artificial Intelligence) component of the feature. “In TechCrunch’s experience, AI shopping agents often take a long time to process requests and often get stuck somewhere along the line.”