Amazon's new AI image generator lets shoppers describe products visually, bypassing text search. The move tightens Amazon's grip on discovery and pressures retailers that rely on keyword-based search.
Amazon rolled out an AI image generator inside its Shopping app on June 3. The tool sits in the search bar. As a shopper types a description, it generates images in real time below the field, shifting with each added word. Customers pick the image closest to what they had in mind and get routed to visually similar products. The feature covers apparel and home goods for now, with more categories planned.
A companion tool called Shop by Style generates shoppable collages organized by aesthetic labels like "urban luxe" or "soft elegance." Tapping a collage leads to a curated page where shoppers can buy items, explore similar products, or swipe between styles.
Both features sit on a visual search stack Amazon has been building for years. Lens Live scans real-world objects through the phone camera and surfaces matching products. Visual Suggestions narrows broad queries like "flannel shirt" into filtered image subsets. More Like This lets shoppers pivot mid-browse toward a different cut or length. Circle-to-search isolates a specific item within an uploaded photo.
The image generator is the most direct attempt yet to close the gap between what a shopper can name and what they actually want. It moves the interface from text-in, products-out toward design-in, products-out. PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster described the dynamic this week: "The seeing was the purchase. It created the demand it then satisfied." She went shopping for a blue blazer and bought a pink skirt instead, because the want formed the instant she saw it.
The risk for Amazon is execution. If the AI generates irrelevant or low-quality images, shoppers may abandon the search. Privacy concerns could surface if the tool uses camera data beyond what users expect. Regulators in Europe have already questioned Amazon's use of AI in product recommendations.
For competitors, the move tightens Amazon's grip on product discovery. Walmart and Google Shopping rely heavily on keyword-based search. A visual-first interface could pull shoppers deeper into Amazon's catalog before they ever type a brand name. Shopify merchants that depend on Google for traffic may see fewer referrals if shoppers start their search inside Amazon's app.
The feature is live in the U.S. app. International rollout is expected later this year. Amazon has not disclosed adoption metrics.
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