Amazon Chief says conversational AI will reshape shopping

Amazon has outlined how it plans to use conversational artificial intelligence in shopping. Doug Herrington, Chief Executive Officer of Worldwide Stores at Amazon, set out the strategy.

He said online retail is undergoing a shift similar to the move from printed catalogues to search bars. Shoppers, he argued, increasingly want to ask for advice, compare options and refine purchases through natural language rather than by typing keywords into a search field.

Speaking on Amazon's Learn and Be Curious podcast, Herrington described conversational AI as the next major format change in digital shopping. Customers are moving beyond entering search terms and scrolling through results, he said, and instead want systems that can answer broader questions and help narrow choices.

That view places Amazon's retail plans at the centre of a wider contest among large technology groups over how generative AI will reshape consumer services. Online retailers, search companies and device makers are all trying to determine whether customers will prefer chatbot-style interfaces for everyday transactions, including product discovery and buying decisions.

Retail shift

Herrington compared the current moment with an earlier period in eCommerce, when digital catalogues dominated online stores before search became the standard way to navigate large product ranges. In his view, conversational AI is the next step in that progression, giving users a way to express intent in fuller, more flexible terms.

He said this approach is especially relevant in shopping because many purchases do not begin with a single precise request. A customer may know the broad category they want, such as kitchen equipment, children's clothing or home electronics, but still need guidance on features, price points or trade-offs before deciding what to buy.

Amazon has already introduced more AI-driven tools across its retail business, including features designed to answer product questions, summarise reviews and support recommendations. Herrington's remarks suggest the company sees those functions as part of a broader effort to make conversation a core way of interacting with its store.

Shopping context

The shift also reflects the scale problem facing large marketplaces. As product selection expands, search results can become crowded, and customers may struggle to identify the most relevant items quickly. Conversational systems offer a way to narrow those choices through back-and-forth exchanges, giving retailers more chances to understand intent and present a smaller set of options.

For Amazon, that has commercial importance because product discovery sits close to the point of sale. If shoppers use AI assistants elsewhere to research items, retailers risk losing direct contact with customers during a key stage of the buying process. A conversational layer inside the store could help Amazon keep that interaction on its own platform.

Herrington also linked the idea to a broader question about how people use technology. Rather than adapting to the structure of websites and search fields, he suggested, users now expect digital systems to adapt to how people naturally speak and think through problems.

Competitive pressure

Large technology companies have spent the past two years trying to work out how conversational AI fits into consumer products without reducing trust or making results less reliable. In shopping, that challenge is sharper because recommendations can directly affect spending decisions and customer satisfaction.

Retailers also need to balance convenience with transparency. Shoppers may want direct answers, but they also need enough information to judge whether a suggestion matches their budget, quality expectations and practical needs. Any move towards conversation-led commerce therefore raises questions about how products are ranked, explained and compared.

Amazon's interest in this format is also tied to its wider ecosystem of devices and services. The company already has experience with voice-based interactions through Alexa, and that background may shape how it combines spoken and text-based interfaces in retail. A conversational shopping model could extend across mobile apps, websites and connected devices rather than sit within a single channel.

Even so, Amazon faces the same test as its rivals: whether consumers will actually change habits at scale. Search remains fast, familiar and efficient for many routine purchases, especially when customers know exactly what they want. Conversational systems may prove more useful in complex or exploratory buying journeys than in repeat purchases of standard items.

Herrington framed the issue in historical terms, arguing that retail interfaces have changed before and are changing again now. He said conversational AI is "the next format shift in retail-just as the catalog gave way to the search bar."