Amazon Deploys Alexa AI to Disrupt Print-on-Demand Market

Amazon’s U.S. customers can now use the company’s AI-powered Alexa for Shopping to create custom designs to be printed on T-shirts, water bottles and other apparel and drinkware items.

This new feature is now available to all U.S. customers, the company said in a Monday (June 8) press release.

With this offering, customers can use prompts to describe a custom design to Alexa for Shopping, see a design generated in seconds, edit it, and then order the resulting custom-designed merchandise like any other Amazon purchase, according to the release.

Alexa for Shopping guides the user through the process, and Amazon’s print-on-demand service Merch on Demand handles production, and Amazon delivers the products.

The design service is free. Customers pay only for the products they order.

Customers can also share their designs with family and friends so that they can order merchandise too, per the release.

This capability can be used to create personalized gifts; matching shirts for family reunions, team outings or friend trips; and custom gear for holidays, game day and other occasions.

“Any idea can be transformed into a design you can share — no design skills required,” the release said.

Amazon announced the launch of Alexa for Shopping in the U.S. in May, saying this personalized AI assistant combines the product expertise and shopping experience of the company’s earlier AI shopping assistant Rufus with the personalized knowledge and context of its voice assistant Alexa+.

PYMNTS reported at the time that with the launch of Alexa for Shopping, Amazon skipped past the chatbot moment many in retail anticipated and bet that voice can become the operating system for shopping itself.

In January 2025, PYMNTS reported that in today’s retail environment, hyper-personalized customer experiences are essential for driving digital engagement and customer loyalty.

For example, companies offer tailored post-purchase interactions such as personalized follow-up communications, enhanced customer support tools and loyalty programs; exclusive offers and community-building initiatives; tailored experiences; and other strategies such as seamless returns, engaging content, and continuous feedback loops.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Global Digital Shopping Index: The AI-Powered Shopper Has Arrived” found nearly half of online shoppers used AI during their latest purchase journey.