Amazon shared an interesting data point on its Q2 earnings call: customers who've tried Alexa+ are signing up for Prime at nearly 25% higher rates. Last year, Amazon estimated Rufus (now Alexa for Shopping) was driving an incremental $12B in annualized sales. If Alexa+ is also increasing Prime subscriptions, it strengthens the business case for investing in agentic shopping—not just as a sales driver, but as a customer acquisition and loyalty engine. Are people subscribing because Alexa+ is more valuable as a Prime benefit? Or are Alexa+ users simply Amazon's most engaged shoppers? And what role do Echo Show devices play in making these experiences habitual?

The Q1 2026 Salesforce Shopping Index is live. Global GMV grew +4.3%, while orders were up just +1%. Average selling price (ASP) rose +3.8%, while units per transaction held steady. Growth was mostly driven by price increases. The top performing verticals had strong order and price growth except for luxury apparel and accessories: 🔹 Health & Beauty: +9% GMV | +8% orders | +4% ASP 🔹 Other Home: +9% GMV | +9% orders | +3% ASP 🔹 Furniture: +9% GMV | +6% orders | +3% ASP 🔹 Make up: +7% GMV | +10% orders | +9% ASP 🔹 Luxury Apparel & Accessories: +7% GMV | -3% orders | +6% ASP Notably, Make up and Luxury Apparel & Accessories are comping against 3% declines in Q1 2025.

1/ Personalization might be the real AI battleground It’s becoming one of the strongest moats for generative AI assistants. Personalization reduces friction. You don’t need perfectly crafted prompts to get what you want. It also creates continuity across interactions and devices. Most importantly, it provides the best recommendations to the user.