Amazon Innovates on Alexa and ‘Hauls’ in a New Shopping Experience

With a nod to digital engagement and the fast-approaching holiday shopping season, Levi’s launched the Levi’s Jeans Fit Guide in Germany, using Amazon Alexa technology to help shoppers find the right style and size without trying on jeans.

The voice-driven tool offers a personalized shopping experience by asking questions about fit preferences and recommending 18 Levi’s styles available on Amazon. Consumers can purchase directly through Levi’s or Amazon, or pick up in stores. The service, available through Alexa-enabled devices, aims to enhance online shopping and elevate Levi’s presence in Europe, where the brand saw 7% revenue growth in the third quarter.

In keeping with the holiday shopping season, Walmart’s early Black Friday deals are underway, offering discounts on a variety of electronics. These early Black Friday Deals are available until Nov. 17.

Here’s a look at other notable developments from Amazon and Walmart in the past week:

Amazon Highlights

• Amazon Launches “Amazon Haul”: Amazon has launched a new U.S. beta experience called “Amazon Haul” within the Amazon Shopping app, offering a curated selection of fashion, home, lifestyle and electronics products, all priced at $20 or less. The service, which promises delivery within one to two weeks, is designed to help customers discover affordable items while benefiting from Amazon’s A-to-Z Guarantee, ensuring product authenticity and quality. Customers can further save with discounts on larger orders. The initiative builds on Amazon’s partnerships with independent sellers, providing them a platform to offer competitive pricing while Amazon handles fulfillment through its infrastructure.
• Amazon Offers Telehealth and Medication for Prime Members: Amazon introduced health and lifestyle care options for Prime members, with upfront pricing for telehealth consultations and medications. For as low as $10 per month, members can access treatments skin care, men’s hair loss and erectile dysfunction. Through Amazon One Medical’s Pay-per-Visit service, members can consult with clinicians via messaging or video for conditions such as pink eye or the flu, with prices starting at $29 for messaging visits and $49 for video consultations. After the visit, members receive a personalized treatment plan and prescription (if needed), which they can fulfill through Amazon Pharmacy. This new service aims to offer Prime members healthcare from the comfort of home, with transparent pricing and no surprise medical bills, while expanding Amazon Pharmacy’s reach to deliver prescription medications to more U.S. cities in 2025.

Walmart Highlights

• Walmart Tests Mobile Unlocking: Walmart is testing new technology in several hundred stores that allows employees to unlock security cases for high-theft products directly from their smartphones, aiming to tackle inventory loss due to theft. This system, which removes the need for manual keys, is initially being rolled out to store employees, though Walmart has discussed extending the capability to its Walmart+ members, according to sources familiar with the test. The move comes as the company continues to address “shrink” — the industry term for inventory loss driven by theft, damage or other factors. Items such as cold medicine, cosmetics and detergent are frequently targeted by thieves and then resold. While security measures like locked product cases have become more common, they can also frustrate shoppers, who must wait for assistance to unlock items.Customer Care: Walmart is introducing new financial incentives for its independent Spark Driver delivery network to encourage more drivers to pick up and deliver online orders during the busy holiday season. This move is part of Walmart’s strategy to elevate eCommerce sales and drive growth in its Walmart+ subscription program, especially among upper-income households. Spark Driver, a loosely organized network of freelance drivers who use a Walmart-designed app to fulfill deliveries, plays a crucial role in Walmart’s ability to compete with Amazon deliveries. While Walmart has not disclosed specific details of the new incentives, the company acknowledged that Spark Driver is vital to its eCommerce strategy, particularly as it aims to increase delivery efficiency and Walmart+ subscription signups.