'Alexa, Help Me Shop for the Holidays': 5 Ways to Use Your Echo Device to Buy Gifts - CNET

This communicative is portion of Home Tips, CNET's postulation of applicable proposal for getting the astir retired of your home, wrong and out.

The vacation play is upon america and Christmas volition beryllium present earlier you cognize it. If you're feeling down to the ligament connected vacation shopping, don't panic -- Alexa tin help. Make the gift-buying process casual and much businesslike by simply utilizing your Amazon Echo device. 

Instead of warring done crowds astatine the promenade oregon toggling betwixt hundreds of store webpages, you tin usage Amazon's dependable adjunct to easiness your gift-giving anxiousness from the comfortableness of your ain home. 

Alexa tin negociate your buying lists, springiness you a curated enactment of acquisition ideas,  hunt down the champion vacation deals, way your shipped packages and adjacent assistance you store for your hard-to-buy-for loved ones. Here's 5 ways your Amazon Echo instrumentality tin assistance with buying this vacation play and the Alexa dependable commands you tin usage for purchasing. For more, here's a implicit usher to voice purchasing with your Echo device and 10 Alexa hacks to get you into the Christmas spirit. 

1. Research acquisition ideas with Alexa

Amazon's database of products and vendors is beyond vast, truthful fto Alexa sift done the online retailer's monolithic inventory for you. It could prevention you clip you'd different discarded scrolling done countless retailer webpages. Plus, Alexa's hunt returns whitethorn spark caller ideas for gifts, too.

Start by asking Alexa thing like, "Alexa, store for women's scarves" for Mom. Perhaps Dad would admit a brace of waterproof boots. What astir stocking stuffers for the kids? Regardless of what you're buying for, Alexa tin compile a database of items to lucifer your request. 

This process is peculiarly useful if you usage 1 of Amazon's smart displays. On the Echo Show oregon Echo Dot, Alexa pulls up a merchandise database successful seconds. The dependable adjunct past describes the archetypal fewer products. You tin bargain items instantly oregon presumption them aboriginal wrong the Alexa mobile app.

Access your Alexa-created acquisition database successful the Alexa app.

Screenshot by Brian Bennett/CNET

2. Build a buying database with Alexa

When browsing Amazon products with your Echo, you tin support way of promising acquisition items with a buying list. Say, "Alexa, adhd this to my buying list," which volition enactment the merchandise you're viewing into the database associated with your Amazon account.

If you haven't yet started searching for gifts, but privation to support way of ideas you have, make a customized database with Alexa. To get started, say, "Alexa, make a acquisition list." Then commencement with thing like, "Alexa, adhd play clubs for Dad to my acquisition list."

"Alexa, adhd the Echo Dot to my acquisition list." 

Angela Lang/CNET

3. Look for deals and discounts

With Alexa, redeeming wealth tin beryllium easy. Simply ask, "Alexa, what are my deals?" Or accidental "Alexa, find maine deals connected Amazon." Then the dependable adjunct volition bash the work. 

Alexa volition database an point that is connected merchantability and inquire if you privation to bargain it. You tin respond "yes" which volition adhd the point to your cart oregon "no" to spell connected to the adjacent deal.

4. Buy gifts with Alexa dependable commands

After finishing disconnected your buying lists, it's acquisition time. And Alexa makes arsenic casual arsenic tin be. In fact, it's arsenic casual arsenic saying, "Alexa, cheque retired [name of product]."

But archetypal you'll request to let dependable purchasing connected your Echo device. Here's how. 

Start by opening the Alexa app. Tap the Menu icon and select Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing. Then toggle the fastener to on. 

Voice purchasing besides requires you to alteration 1-Click ordering. To bash this, unfastened the 1-Click settings page on Amazon. It volition instrumentality you to an Amazon leafage displaying your 1-Click outgo setting. Look for the container that says if 1-Click is enabled oregon disabled and crook it to on. Here, you tin participate oregon edit the outgo accusation you privation to use.

For other protection, you tin alteration Alexa to necessitate a four-digit passcode each clip you usage dependable purchasing. To acceptable up your code, spell to the Alexa app and tap More > Settings > Account Settings > Voice Purchasing > Purchase Confirmation > Manage. Then toggle on Voice Code, benignant successful a four-digit codification you'd similar to usage and tap Go. Make definite to retrieve the codification due to the fact that you'll request it anytime you privation to bargain an point utilizing your voice. 

5. Track your packages with Alexa 

Since this is Amazon we're talking about, Alexa tin support way of the purchases you've made done the retail giant. 

Simply say, "Alexa, wherever is my package?" oregon "Alexa, way my package" oregon adjacent "Alexa, where's my stuff?" It'll proviso your order's existent shipping presumption and erstwhile it's scheduled to arrive. Additionally, you tin take to person shipping notifications for each your orders. In the Alexa app, spell to Settings > Notifications > Shipping notifications. Next, toggle connected the notifications you would like. When there's caller information, Alexa volition fto you know.

For much Alexa essentials, cheque retired every Alexa bid disposable now and the crushed you should put an Amazon instrumentality successful each room of your home. You tin besides find out the existent outgo of mounting up an Amazon astute home.