Amazon is once again raising the bar for online shopping with the launch of Lens Live, an AI-powered feature within the Amazon Shopping app. Combining real-time product scanning, visual search, and insights from Rufus, Amazon’s AI shopping assistant, Lens Live makes it faster and easier than ever for customers to discover, compare, and buy products.
What Is Amazon Lens Live?
Lens Live builds on the success of Amazon Lens, which already allowed users to search using photos or barcodes. Now, with Lens Live, the camera automatically scans items in real time and displays a swipeable carousel of product matches at the bottom of the screen.
Shoppers can:
- Focus on a specific product by tapping it in the camera view
- Compare options instantly in the carousel
- Add items to cart with a tap on the “+” icon
- Save to wish lists by tapping the heart — all without leaving the camera
This streamlined flow takes shoppers from inspiration to checkout in just a few taps.
AI-Powered Insights with Rufus
Lens Live integrates directly with Rufus, Amazon’s AI shopping assistant, to provide:
- Quick product summaries highlighting key features
- Suggested questions to ask while browsing
- Fast, conversational answers about what makes a product stand out
Instead of opening multiple tabs or scrolling through reviews, shoppers get relevant insights directly in the camera view, speeding up research and decision-making.
How It Works Behind the Scenes
Lens Live is powered by a sophisticated tech stack:
- On-device computer vision models detect products in real time as customers pan their cameras.
- Deep learning visual embedding models match the view against billions of Amazon products.
- AWS services like Amazon OpenSearch and SageMaker enable large-scale machine learning deployment.
This combination makes Lens Live both fast and accurate, with minimal effort required from the customer.
Rollout and Availability
Lens Live is now available to tens of millions of U.S. customers using the Amazon Shopping app on iOS. Amazon plans to roll it out to all U.S. customers in the coming months.
Traditional Lens features — snapping a photo, uploading an image, or scanning a barcode — remain available for those who prefer them.
Why Lens Live Matters for eCommerce
Lens Live isn’t just another app feature. It’s a clear signal that the future of eCommerce is real-time, visual, and AI-driven.
For retailers and brands, this means:
- Discovery is becoming visual-first: customers expect to shop with their camera as easily as they do with a search bar.
- AI is driving trust and efficiency: instant answers and insights reduce friction in the buying journey.
- Speed matters: shoppers are more likely to convert when they can move from “see it” to “buy it” instantly.
Brands that adapt early to these changes will be better positioned to meet rising customer expectations.
Conclusion
Amazon Lens Live represents a new frontier in digital retail: shopping that is instant, intelligent, and interactive. By combining visual search, real-time product matching, and AI-powered insights, Amazon is redefining what customers expect from online shopping.
For eCommerce leaders, the lesson is clear: the future of retail will be visual, conversational, and AI-powered — and the time to adapt is now.
Source:
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/search-image-amazon-lens-live-shopping-rufus
