Amazon Alexa’s endless array of concierge-like services even extends to sharing shopping lists with loved ones. With a little list management, you can send shopping list items to contacts and receive notifications.
Alexa’s Sharing Shopping List feature works best for people who are visually or physically impaired or unable to effectively keep track of or manage their shopping lists. Shopping lists can be shared with home health aides and other auxiliary help without having to put pen to paper.
How Do I Create a Shopping List?
To start your shopping list, download the Amazon Alexa app from Apple’s App Store for iPhone or from the Google Play Store for Android.
From there, open the app and tap on “More” on the bottom menu bar.
Tap on “List & Notes,” and then tap on “Shopping.”
To add an item to your shopping list, tap on the blue “+” icon and type in the name of your item(s).
To remove an item from your shopping list, tap on the checkbox next to each item name. It will automatically remove it from your list. The change will be reflected in both the app and the web page.
Once all items have been added to your Shopping List, tap on “Shop Your List” to be taken to the Amazon app. From there, it will offer the option to choose delivery, pickup, or in-store shopping at Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods with the option to edit saved stores.
How to Share a Shopping List with Your Loved Ones
There are four ways to share a shopping list with your friends and family.
On the upper-right navigation bar of the Shopping screen, you’ll also see the option to “Share.” Tapping on “Share” will invite you to invite others to add to your list or send a copy of your list via text message.
Secondly, you can say “Alexa, share my shopping list” to any Alexa-powered devices, which will prompt you to speak the name of the contact you want to send it to. Note that to enable this feature, the contact must be saved under your phone’s contact list. However, they don’t need to own an Amazon account.
Thirdly, you can also open the Alexa app, tap the blue Alexa button at the top of the screen, wait for a pulsing purple bar (which indicates listening mode), and say “Alexa, share my shopping list.”
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Lastly, you can also invite others to your Shopping List by visiting your Wishlist page on a desktop PC.
After sharing your list, your contact will receive a phone text notification and an audible Alexa-powered device alert (if they have an Echo or a similar device) letting them know.
How Do I Turn Off List Sharing?
To turn off list sharing, tap on the “Share” button on the Alexa app’s “Shopping” page and tap “Turn off list sharing.” This will instantly remove shared access to all participants. We highly recommend turning off list sharing once all items have been purchased to avoid repurchasing the same items again.
Difficulties in Sharing Shopping Lists
Alexa’s Shopping List does require heavy lifting, depending on how detailed the list owner is in sharing his items. For example, shopping lists can be limited to broad phrases, such as “milk and cookies” instead of sharing a specific brand of milk or cookies, which forces the list owner or list recipient to make the choice on their own. If you’re not particularly peculiar about attention to detail, then Alexa’s Sharing Shopping List feature can be quite helpful.
