Amazon allows artificial intelligence to shop in foreign shops — a new era of e-commerce?

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Amazon is revolutionizing e-commerce once again — but this time not just with its own offering. The tech giant recently announced that a newly developed AI is actively tracking down, analyzing and, in some cases, even purchasing products in external online shops. The aim is to expand your own product range, compare prices better and further optimize the shopping experience of customers. What sounds futuristic at first has the potential to fundamentally change digital retail.

What is behind Amazon's new shopping AI?

The technology that Amazon uses is based on sophisticated machine learning models that are able to identify products on third-party websites, compare their prices, and analyze characteristics such as delivery time, reviews, and availability. In doing so, AI draws on large amounts of data from a wide variety of sources — from classic online shops to marketplaces and specialized niche platforms.

This new form of automated shopping behavior uses semantic analysis, image recognition, and structured data processing to get a comprehensive picture of products, prices, and quality. Artificial intelligence not only “understands” product descriptions, but can also take into account contextual information — such as whether an item is on sale, available in limited quantities or could become a potential top seller.

Why is Amazon searching outside of its own ecosystem?

The primary motivation behind this strategic step is to strengthen one's own market position. By opening up external offers, Amazon primarily wants to:

• Improve price transparency: The AI determines the best market price in real time.
• Fill product gaps: Products that are not (yet) available on Amazon are automatically recorded and potentially integrated.
• Increase customer satisfaction: With a wider and cheaper range, customers should find what they are looking for even more often.
• Gaining data: Each external shop provides valuable data points that further train the Amazon ecosystem.

This is how the intelligent purchasing process works

The process is divided into four phases:

1. Crawlers & scanners: The AI automatically scans external websites for specific product categories, keywords, and features.
2. Data analysis: Algorithms analyse availability, prices, valuations, delivery options and legal frameworks.
3. Decision: Based on relevance and cost-effectiveness, it is decided whether the item is of interest to Amazon.
4. action: Products can be purchased automatically or integrated into the Amazon catalog as “affiliate products”.

Effects on online retailers and competition

This development is causing a stir in the e-commerce sector — not only because of technical innovation, but also because of its market-economic implications. On the one hand, small and medium-sized retailers could benefit if their products are discovered and promoted by Amazon. On the other hand, dependence on the tech giant is growing.

Opportunities for retailers:

• Increased visibility through integration with Amazon's search systems
• Automated acceptance through AI can increase sales
• Access to Amazon's logistical infrastructure

Competition risks:

• Price fall due to even stronger price pressure
• Fewer differentiation options
• Data flows to Amazon with every interaction

Data protection and ethics: Where do you draw the line?

Data protection remains a critical issue. Even if AI only reads publicly available information, the question is how far automated systems can operate in third-party web shops. Is there a line between clever market monitoring and systematic exploitation?

Experts are also discussing whether such a model will lead to further monopolization in online trade. If Amazon not only controls products but also competition, the free market loses diversity and innovative power.

Conclusion

Amazon's move to send artificial intelligence to foreign stores on a shopping spree marks another milestone in the evolution of e-commerce. It is a strategic combination of data power, technological innovation, and market penetration. While consumers could benefit from more choice and better prices, retailers and competitors face new challenges. It remains to be seen whether this development will lead to greater efficiency or to dominant market dominance. One thing is clear: Online retail is in the midst of fundamental change — driven by AI that not only thinks but also acts.

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