Amazon is launching a new tool in its search bar: AI-generated images to help shoppers when they don’t have the right words for what they’re looking for.
The e-commerce giant said in a statement on Wednesday that the AI tool is meant to bridge imagination with product discovery.
For example, Amazon said, a shopper may be looking for a draped collar but for some reason could not think of the term “cowl neck,” or they’re looking for a couch with woven side panels but they didn’t know “rattan.”
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“Now, as customers search for products using descriptive language—like color, texture, or pattern—AI-generated images instantly take shape in the suggestions below the search bar, shifting and refining with each word added,” it said.
They can then tap the generated image and shop for visually similar products. For now, the company said U.S. customers can use the AI tool when searching for home and apparel items, but more categories will adopt this tool too soon.
“We continue to innovate in visual search to help customers quickly find and discover the products they want and need from Amazon’s wide selection,” it said.
This is just one of several visual features that Amazon has recently launched, including an AI-generated shoppable collage called “Shop by Style” based on their search item and “Amazon Lens Live,” which uses the phone camera to scan a product and display matching items at the bottom of the screen.
The release of the AI tools comes weeks before the company’s biggest sale of the year, Amazon Prime Day, which would be held from June 23-26. This would mark the second year in a row that Amazon is holding the event for four days, as opposed to two.
Aside from the visual tools, Amazon also recently launched Alexa for Shopping, which can prepare a personalized deals guide based on a user’s shopping history and preferences.
Consumers are not limited to the AI tools provided by Amazon. A consumer survey ahead of Prime Day showed that 76 and 72 percent of Gen Z and millennial shoppers, respectively, said they would use platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini to optimize their Prime Day experience.
