How to Set Up and Use Alexa Voice Shopping
Amazon’s Alexa can do marvelous things around the house, from playing your favorite radio stations to turning on the lights around the house. But there’s another feature you might have glossed over: Alexa Voice Shopping.
Voice-activated shopping is seen as a gimmick by some. But, in reality, it’s an excellent way to shop hands-free if you know what you want. Amazon has worked hard to make Alexa Voice Shopping a worthwhile feature. And, nowadays, it’s possible to shop as you would on the Amazon website just using your voice.
We will cover exactly how you can set up voice-activated shopping and start placing orders in no time.
What Is Alexa Voice Shopping?
Alexa Voice Shopping is a voice-activated service that lets you place Amazon orders in just a couple of sentences. Instead of browsing a store or the Amazon website, Alexa Voice Shopping offers a quick and easy alternative to get stocked up on your favorite items or explore new products.
If you have anAlexa-enabled deviceor even just the Alexa app (available foriOSandAndroid), it’s simple to create a cart and place an order. You just need to tell Alexa what you’re looking for, and it’ll suggest a product from the Amazon store before adding it to your cart or asking if you’d like to buy it now. Just say “Yes,” and voila, your order is placed.
Still need some guidance? Read on for the exact steps you need to place your first voice-activated order.
Enable Alexa Voice Shopping
To enable voice-activated shopping, you’ll need first to confirm Voice Purchasing is activated in the Alexa app. It’s usually enabled by default, but it’s wise to confirm before attempting to make a purchase.
If you’ve followed these instructions, a payment method has been set up, and Alexa Voice Shopping is now enabled. You’re ready to start shopping.
Add Items to Your Amazon Cart
Now that Alexa Voice Shopping is enabled, adding items to your cart is simple.
If you ask Alexa to add something generic to your cart, Alexa will usually pick the Amazon’s Choice item for that search term.
So, if you say, “Alexa, order chocolate,” you’ll be offered the Amazon Choice option. If no Amazon Choice product is available, Alexa will offer you the top search result for that term.
However, suppose you know the exact product you want to order. In that case, it’s better to specify the brand and other specifics, like quantity or color. You could say, “Alexa, order Ferrero Rocher 24 pack,” and Alexa will add that specific item to your cart.
Alexa Voice Shopping is excellent for re-purchasing items you’ve bought in the past. So, if you’ve ordered chocolate before with Amazon, Alexa will assume you have a preference for that brand and offer it to you again. This makes it easy to stock up on the items you repeatedly order without visiting the Amazon website.
If you want to check what’s in your cart before ordering, ask, “Alexa, what’s in my shopping cart?”. Alexa will then list the items in your Amazon basket. This is a useful feature to check for unwanted items in your basket before you place your order.
Place Your Amazon Order
There are two ways that you may place your Amazon order through Alexa.
Firstly, you can order items on the fly by saying “Order now” or “Buy it now” after Alexa asks you if you’d like to purchase the product you’ve just requested. This will immediately order the item, akin to ordering a single product on the Amazon website.
Alternatively, you can wait until you have a cart full of items you want to order. As products that you add to your cart through Alexa stay in there indefinitely, don’t worry if you want to add items as you go and checkout at a later date.
Once you’re ready to place your order, say, “Alexa, checkout my shopping cart.” Alexa will run through delivery costs and the total cost of your basket before confirming if you’d like to place your order. Just say “Yes” when prompted to finalize the order.
Track Your Amazon Order With Alexa
Handily, Amazon allows you to track your orders with Alexa, even if they weren’t placed through an Alexa-enabled device. You can ask, “Alexa, where’s my order?” and it’ll list the items ordered and give you an update on when your items are supposed to arrive.
If you’d like automatic updates on your order, you’re able to enable notifications for Amazon Shopping in the Alexa app. They’re likely already on by default, but if you want to adjust them, here’s how:
If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest Amazon deals using Alexa, follow our guide to learn how to start receiving notifications ofupcoming deals on your Alexa-enabled device.
Cancel Your Amazon Order
Made a mistake in your order? Not to worry, there are a couple of easy ways to cancel your order without any fuss. As a rule of thumb, always try to cancel an order within the first 30 minutes of placing it, as, after that, there’s no guarantee that the order won’t be too far gone to cancel.
Firstly, after placing a Voice Shopping order, you can say, “Alexa, cancel my order.” Alexa will then ask if you’d like to cancel your last order. Just reply “Yes,” and your order will be immediately canceled.
You can also visit the Amazon website and go toYour Orders. Here, you’ll be able to see your most recent orders with the option toCancel Items. Check the box next to the items you’d like to cancel and pressCancel Checked Items.
Prevent Unwanted Amazon Purchases
If you followed the steps in the first section, you might have noticed the option to add Purchase Confirmation in the Voice Purchasing settings. This adds an extra step to the process to prevent unauthorized purchases, requiring a recognized voice or a four-digit pin to place an order.
To set up your Voice Code, follow these steps:
To set up Voice Profile:
What Will You Buy With Amazon Alexa?
By now, you should be well-acquainted with Alexa Voice Shopping. It really does offer an excellent and novel alternative to scrolling through the Amazon website or traipsing around stores.
Why not try making your first purchase today? Who knows, it could become a regular part of your shopping routine.
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