News Summary

  • Amazon executives said on Thursday's Q2 2026 earnings call that customer engagement with its agentic AI shopping assistant, Alexa for Shopping, has surged, with active users nearly doubling year over year.
  • CEO Andy Jassy revealed that over 350 million shoppers used Alexa for Shopping in the past 12 months, and the assistant replaced the Rufus shopping assistant in May. Second-quarter interactions grew fivefold year over year.
  • According to Jassy, U.S. customers using Alexa for Shopping spend 40% more per order on average than shoppers who do not use the AI assistant. Additionally, shoppers who tried Alexa+ were nearly 25% more likely to join Amazon Prime.

Deep Dive

Alexa is creating significant value for Amazon, and as the company continues to build a convenience-focused ecosystem, more customers are enjoying Prime's fast delivery options.

"We find that wherever Alexa goes, it brings growth momentum to the business," Jassy said on the call.

Alexa is a valuable asset for Amazon, especially as more customers begin using agentic shopping assistants and trust continues to grow. These tools are particularly popular among younger consumers; according to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll and Quad in April, 62% of Gen Z and millennials said they prefer using AI tools for shopping.

Agentic commerce is expected to continue growing in the coming years, and according to research released by ICSC and McKinsey & Company in April, the overall market could contribute $1 trillion in revenue by 2030.

AI shopping is just one part of Amazon's retail strategy; Amazon Prime is another. According to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky, membership in the subscription program grew by double digits year over year.

Prime's fast delivery options are resonating with customers. According to Jassy, the number of items delivered same-day or next-day grew 40% year over year in the first half of 2026.

Amazon's latest quarterly results were strong. According to the earnings report, net sales in Q2 2026 grew 20% year over year to $200.6 billion, and operating income grew 43% year over year to $27.5 billion.

Correction: This article has been updated with the correct month when Alexa for Shopping replaced Rufus, as well as the month when ICSC and McKinsey & Company released their research. Andy Jassy's full name and title have also been added.