Amazon Brings Alexa for Shopping to Japan

Amazon announced on November 12, 2026, that it will roll out the AI shopping assistant Alexa for Shopping in Japan. The service will be available through the Amazon Shopping app and Amazon.co.jp as part of Alexa. It launched in the United States in May; in Japan, it updates the assistant previously offered as Rufus.

Users can describe questions or requests in conversation to find and compare products and get suggestions. A request for weekend camping gear can bring recommendations from several product categories, which users can add to their cart. The assistant can also find frequently purchased items such as coffee, laundry detergent, and pet food from past orders or history, add them to the cart, and help users proceed to checkout. For a child’s birthday gift, users can specify the child’s age, budget, and desired delivery date; the assistant suggests products that fit, drawing on customer reviews and other information. For shoppers choosing between two pairs of earbuds, it can help compare key features, prices, and review highlights.

Search results include AI-generated summaries of product category features and key points for choosing among products. When users name products they want to compare, the assistant displays their main features, prices, and customer review highlights side by side. Users can view price trends from the past 30 or 90 days by opening “Price History” on a product page or asking the assistant. For purchases that take longer to compare, such as televisions and laptops, it can create shopping guides summarizing selection criteria and comparison points based on the user’s priorities.

The assistant can search for deals based on browsing history and shopping lists, and find products within a specified price range. Users can also ask conversationally about delivery and order status or get help with returns. They can review, view, update, or delete information the assistant has learned through conversations, including details about family, pets, interests, and dietary preferences; that information can be used to tailor product choices. Amazon said Alexa for Shopping will support shopping in the way Alexa+ makes experiences on Echo and Fire TV more convenient.

The article also describes the price history feature as covering “up to about three months,” while its feature details specify price trends over the past 30 or 90 days. The article’s closing list names Echo and Fire TV products but gives no individual launch announcements or eligibility details for them.

Amazon announced on November 12, 2026, that it will roll out the AI shopping assistant Alexa for Shopping in Japan. The service will be available through the Amazon Shopping app and Amazon.co.jp as part of Alexa. It launched in the United States in May; in Japan, it updates the assistant previously offered as Rufus.

Users can describe questions or requests in conversation to find and compare products and get suggestions. A request for weekend camping gear can bring recommendations from several product categories, which users can add to their cart. The assistant can also find frequently purchased items such as coffee, laundry detergent, and pet food from past orders or history, add them to the cart, and help users proceed to checkout. For a child’s birthday gift, users can specify the child’s age, budget, and desired delivery date; the assistant suggests products that fit, drawing on customer reviews and other information. For shoppers choosing between two pairs of earbuds, it can help compare key features, prices, and review highlights.

Search results include AI-generated summaries of product category features and key points for choosing among products. When users name products they want to compare, the assistant displays their main features, prices, and customer review highlights side by side. Users can view price trends from the past 30 or 90 days by opening “Price History” on a product page or asking the assistant. For purchases that take longer to compare, such as televisions and laptops, it can create shopping guides summarizing selection criteria and comparison points based on the user’s priorities.

The assistant can search for deals based on browsing history and shopping lists, and find products within a specified price range. Users can also ask conversationally about delivery and order status or get help with returns. They can review, view, update, or delete information the assistant has learned through conversations, including details about family, pets, interests, and dietary preferences; that information can be used to tailor product choices. Amazon said Alexa for Shopping will support shopping in the way Alexa+ makes experiences on Echo and Fire TV more convenient.

The article also describes the price history feature as covering “up to about three months,” while its feature details specify price trends over the past 30 or 90 days. The article’s closing list names Echo and Fire TV products but gives no individual launch announcements or eligibility details for them.