Amazon is testing a new feature in its mobile shopping app that lets users buy products Amazon doesn’t sell—without leaving the app. Called “Buy for Me,” the tool uses AI agents to complete purchases on third-party brand websites and is now in limited beta for select iOS and Android users in the United States.
When a customer searches for something not sold by Amazon, qualifying items from external brand sites appear in a section labeled “Shop brand sites directly.” Tapping one opens a product detail page inside the Amazon app. From there, users can select “Buy for Me” and authorize Amazon to complete the transaction.
Amazon’s Nova AI, paired with Anthropic’s Claude via Bedrock, securely fills in payment and shipping details. The brand handles fulfillment, customer service, and returns. Amazon does not access historical purchase data from brand sites and is not responsible for post-purchase issues. Customers receive order confirmations from the brand and can track purchases in a new “Buy for Me Orders” section within the app.
Participation is optional for brands, and no details were disclosed regarding revenue sharing or commissions. For now, the pilot includes a limited number of products and partners, with plans to expand.
As agentic use cases go, “Buy for Me” is well-structured. It keeps customers inside Amazon’s ecosystem while extending functionality beyond its inventory—but that’s not the lesson here.
This is a working example of a narrowly scoped, highly-specialized AI agent doing something useful—safely, securely, and at scale. The tools are readily available at AWS, GCP, Azure, or wherever you buy your AI compute—now is the time to test and learn. If you need some help getting started, just reply to this email. -s
P.S. If you're heading to POSSIBLE (April 30 | Miami), please join us at the Shelly Palmer Innovation Series VIP Breakfast presented by 3C Ventures featuring Mark Cuban, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Michael Kassan, and me. .
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
