Amazon expands AI footprint in B2B buying with launch of new tool

Amazon Business unveiled a slate of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools at its Reshape conference in Seattle on Nov. 12.

The tools signal an expansion of AI into the heart of business procurement. The announcements centered on the new Amazon Business Assistant. It aims to simplify purchasing, detect savings, and shift organizations from reactive buying to predictive decision-making.

Powered by Amazon Bedrock, the company’s managed generative AI service on AWS, the updates reflect Amazon’s push to make business buying faster, smarter and more transparent for enterprises, governments and small businesses alike.

“For over a decade, we’ve redefined how organizations manage purchasing,” said Shelley Salomon, vice president of Amazon Business. “Now, with new AI-enhanced tools, we’re empowering organizations to reduce costs, make data-driven decisions, and get support when and where they need it.”

Amazon ranks No. 1 in Digital Commerce 360’s Top 2000 Database. The database is how Digital Commerce 360 tracks the largest North American online retailers by their annual ecommerce sales.

Amazon is also No. 3 in Digital Commerce 360’s Global Online Marketplaces Database. That database ranks the 100 largest such marketplaces by third-party gross merchandise value (GMV).

Amazon Business adds AI tools for procurement

The centerpiece of the rollout, the Amazon Business Assistant, is a conversational AI tool. It guides users through account setup, savings opportunities, and purchasing questions in real time. Amazon Business has made the assistant available now to U.S. customers at no extra cost. The assistant uses past purchase data and account settings to recommend more efficient buying options.

Users can access the assistant by clicking an orange icon on their Amazon Business account page. Over time, it learns from interactions and feedback to refine its recommendations. It also acts as an always-on support agent embedded in the buying process.

Amazon also introduced Savings Insights, a new feature for Business Prime members. Savings Insights uses AI to analyze purchasing patterns and flag savings opportunities. The dashboard highlights areas where companies can buy in bulk, switch to lower-priced sellers or use Subscribe & Save options.

Enterprise customers will gain additional oversight through Spend Anomaly Monitoring, a tool that automatically detects irregular spending behaviors, such as unusual categories, repeated orders or transactions structured to bypass approval thresholds. The system provides alerts without locking down purchasing controls, allowing companies to balance compliance with flexibility.

Amazon partnering with Deloitte

Beyond procurement, Amazon is partnering with Deloitte and AWS to introduce two AI-driven industry solutions designed to make manufacturing and utility operations more predictive. Both run on Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker.

1. Industrial Manufacturing Solution. Launching to select manufacturers in early 2026, this tool will use AI agents to predict inventory disruptions, assess supplier quality and recommend actions such as reallocating parts or expediting shipments.
2. Power Utility Asset Management Solution. Also debuting in early 2026, this product will use predictive modeling, diagnostics and geospatial analysis to help utilities forecast equipment replacements and manage grid reliability after severe weather events.

These industry-specific tools extend Amazon Business beyond procurement and into operational decision-making — a step toward positioning it as a strategic technology platform, not just a purchasing portal.

Founded in 2015, Amazon Business said it now serves more than 8 million organizations worldwide, generating more than $35 billion in annualized gross sales. The platform blends Amazon’s familiar retail interface with enterprise-grade tools like approval workflows, analytics and purchasing system integrations.

Amazon Business operates in 11 countries and continues to focus on expanding its role in digital procurement as companies look to automate and optimize spending.

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Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 B2B News. It covers technology and business trends in the growing B2B ecommerce industry. Contact Mark Brohan, senior vice president of B2B and Market Research, at mark@digitalcommerce360.com. Follow him on Twitter @markbrohan. Follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and YouTube.

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