AWS Brings the Power of Generative AI to Ecommerce with the AI Shopping Assistant

You’re planning a home project—maybe building a new deck or finally transforming that basement into a cozy retreat. You visit an online retailer, ready to order supplies, only to be met with pages of options: hundreds of screws, dozens of wood types, countless tools. What started as an exciting project now feels like a chore as you scroll through endless choices, unsure which items are best for your project.

Just when you’re about to close your laptop, you notice an icon for a shopping assistant powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI). “It looks like you’re trying to build a deck. Would you like help?” Minutes later, everything you need is in your shopping cart—precisely tailored, start to finish.

Available as a demo from AWS, the AI Shopping Assistant showcases how generative AI can serve as your digital project guide, providing tailored recommendations that meet your specific needs. Built to help retailers deliver personalized and seamless experiences, this assistant allows customers to make faster, more confident decisions. By narrowing options to only what’s most relevant, the AI Shopping Assistant reduces decision fatigue and transforms shopping into a more satisfying experience. And it can help retailers create new ways to engage and support customers, bridging the gap between intention and action with ease.

The AI Shopping Assistant brings “walk-by” moments to online shopping

For many customers, finding the right products quickly can make or break their shopping experience. The AI Shopping Assistant uses natural language processing and generative AI to curate personalized suggestions tailored to each shopper’s specific needs for their unique project—whether it’s pinpointing the perfect screws for a deck or locating specialty electronic components. With access to extensive product details, the assistant reshapes a daunting maze of options into a focused, relevant list, mirroring the expert guidance of an in-store associate and creating a more engaging online shopping journey.

Like any good assistant, it goes beyond simply meeting requests by offering recommendations for relevant items. From project-specific tools to complementary products, it recreates that “walk-by” discovery moment, where customers find items they may not have initially considered. These personalized suggestions increase basket size, creating upsell and cross-sell opportunities that can help retailers boost average order value while also creating a more enjoyable shopping experience for customers.

How the AI Shopping Assistant works

Powered by a robust, flexible architecture built on AWS, the AI Shopping Assistant delivers personalized and efficient service across multiple customer touchpoints. Here’s a look at how it functions behind the scenes:

• User interaction and front-end access: Customers access the assistant through a seamless, web-based interface hosted on Amazon CloudFront. After authentication, they can explore products, ask questions, and receive tailored guidance to meet their unique needs.
• Data integration and management with AppSync: AppSync, a GraphQL API integration layer, orchestrates the flow of data between the assistant’s services. This layer coordinates AWS Lambda functions that process customer queries, manage interactions with Amazon Bedrock, and update Amazon DynamoDB to keep recommendations relevant.
• Generative AI and semantic search capabilities: Amazon Bedrock powers the assistant’s ability to interpret customer queries, leveraging generative AI to deliver precise responses. Product catalog data stored in Amazon OpenSearch Service as vectorized entries supports both direct semantic search and AI-driven recommendations, enhancing the shopping experience.
• Personalization with conversation history: Amazon DynamoDB stores conversation history, allowing the assistant to recall past interactions and deliver responses tailored to each customer’s journey and preferences.

This architecture permits retailers to deploy the AI Shopping Assistant across platforms, from e-commerce websites to in-store kiosks, adapting to evolving customer needs. The diagram below provides a visual overview of how these services interact, showcasing the assistant’s scalability and flexibility in meeting today’s retail demands.

Empower your retail strategy with the AI Shopping Assistant

The AI Shopping Assistant is poised to redefine how retailers engage and support their customers, setting a new standard for personalized and efficient shopping experiences both online and in-store. Imagine guiding shoppers seamlessly to the perfect products, suggesting relevant add-ons, and alleviating decision fatigue—all with a digital assistant attuned to each customer’s unique needs and preferences.

Ready to explore what’s next? Connect with our team to see how a demo of how this AI-driven solution can be tailored to your business. Join us at re:Invent for the RCG 204—Building an AI-powered shopping assistant—and NRF 2025 (Booth #5438) to experience firsthand how generative AI is reshaping retail strategy. Discover how the AI Shopping Assistant can elevate your customer experience and prepare your business for the future of intelligent, personalized retail.