Amazon announced on Thursday a new artificial intelligence application that it says will help its independent sellers with sales metrics, inventory maintenance and product advertising, among other things. The move is part of a broader Big Tech effort to employ the technology for greater automation.
The retail giant says select U.S. sellers will gain access immediately, followed by a broader rollout across the U.S. Later this year, the feature will begin to arrive in more countries and in other languages besides English.
The goal with Project Amelia, explains Amazon, is to offer sellers tools that can help them manage and grow their business.
At launch, sellers will be able to retrieve information like sales data and customer traffic information, and be able to ask the assistant questions like “How is my business doing?” In response, the AI will offer a summary of metrics, including recent sales, units sold, and website traffic, and compare those metrics to the same time last year.
Sellers will also be able to ask follow-up questions, like those focused on a single product’s sale, growth, and customer traffic, among other things.
Later, the AI assistant will be able to help resolve issues and aid with other tasks.
For example, Amazon sellers will be able to ask something like “I have 300 units on the way and don’t see that reflected in the report. Can someone look into this?,” and they’ll receive personalized guidance. If needed, they may also be connected with Amazon’s support team to help them investigate the issue further, which makes the assistant sound more like a traditional chatbot, in that case.
Further down the road, Project Amelia will be able to offer sellers “additional help managing the task” or may even “offer to solve the problem on a seller’s behalf,” Amazon says, without providing specifics or a timeframe to launch.
“We are always seeking to equip our selling partners with the most effective tools and capabilities, empowering them to more easily start and grow a successful business,” reads an Amazon blog post, penned by Mary Beth Westmoreland, VP, of Amazon’s Worldwide Selling Partner Experience. “By leveraging the transformative power of generative AI, we are creating and deploying technologies that will improve how sellers can manage and grow their businesses. Innovative solutions like Project Amelia are reducing the time, effort, and resources required from sellers to manage their business, allowing them more time for building great products and delighting customers,” she added.
