What Is Amazon Assistant and How Can It Help You Shop Smarter?

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Have you ever come across a great deal on another website and wondered – could I get this even cheaper on Amazon? Or wanted to quickly reference your Amazon wish list while browsing elsewhere? If so, Amazon Assistant is here to help!

Amazon Assistant is a free browser extension and mobile app that gives you convenient access to Amazon‘s catalog, reviews, wish lists, and other shopping features while browsing any website. It‘s like having a little Amazon expert sitting on your shoulder, helping you shop smarter wherever you go online!

In this detailed guide, I‘ll explain exactly how Amazon Assistant works and all the ways it can save you money and time:

What‘s in this guide:

What Amazon Assistant Does

Amazon Assistant integrates Amazon‘s product data, pricing, reviews, and other shopping tools directly into your browsing experience on any website.

It enables you to:

  • Instantly compare prices with Amazon when shopping elsewhere
  • Read Amazon reviews without leaving the site you‘re browsing
  • Get easy access to your Amazon wish lists and cart
  • Track price history and set alerts for price drops
  • Find Amazon coupons and deals as you shop across the web

So whether you‘re shopping on big sites like Walmart or niche sites like Mountain Equipment Coop, Amazon Assistant gives you extra insight and options powered by Amazon‘s vast catalog.

How Amazon Assistant Works

Amazon Assistant is available as an extension for the Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera desktop browsers. There is also a mobile app for Android devices.

Once installed, the extension runs quietly in the background as you browse regular sites. When you land on a product page, Amazon Assistant automatically identifies the product and generates a small popup within a few seconds.

This popup shows you useful information about that same item from Amazon, without forcing you to leave the site you‘re browsing.

For example, here‘s what you might see:

  • The current price on Amazon
  • How that compares to the retailer you‘re viewing
  • Customer images, reviews and ratings from Amazon
  • Historical price data and trends
  • Related products and recommendations
  • Quick links to add the item to your Amazon Cart or Wish List

The popup also has options to set price drop alerts, share the product, or view it in more depth on Amazon.

So with just one click, you can access Amazon‘s unmatched insights on any product you come across as you shop across the entire internet!

Biggest Benefits of Amazon Assistant

Amazon Assistant helps all types of shoppers by bringing Amazon‘s tools wherever you browse. Here are some of the top benefits:

For the bargain hunter 💰

Amazon‘s massive inventory and marketplace of 3rd party sellers means they often have the lowest prices on items. Assistant lets you instantly check for cheaper options on Amazon.

58% of shoppers consult multiple websites before making a purchase in order to find the best deal according to surveys. Amazon Assistant makes this comparison process quick and seamless.

For the informed shopper 📚

Amazon has over 276 million customer product reviews according to ReviewMeta. That‘s more than any other retailer! Assistant gives you access to these reviews from within any website.

73% of shoppers say positive online reviews make them trust a business more according to Pew Research. Amazon‘s reviews help you shop with confidence anywhere online.

For the wish list shopper 📝

Amazon Assistant makes it easy to save items from any website to your Amazon wish list for future consideration.

Browser extensions like Assistant are used to add over 1.1 million products to Amazon wish lists daily. This helps you keep track of items no matter where you first discover them.

For the price drop watcher 👀

Set price watches and get alerts when any product has a price drop or goes on sale at Amazon.

61% of consumers have used price tracking services according to Statista. Amazon Assistant brings this convenience for Amazon prices to anywhere you shop online.

For the rewards maximizer 🎁

Amazon Assistant helps you find available coupons, promotions and Amazon Prime offers as you browse. This ensures you maximize savings and rewards.

A staggering 82% of shoppers look specifically for coupons and deals when shopping online according to eMarketer. Amazon Assistant surfaces any available Amazon discounts automatically.

So whether you like finding bargains, researching purchases, keeping organized or maximizing rewards – Amazon Assistant has something to offer!

Availability of Amazon Assistant

Amazon Assistant is available on Windows, Mac, Android, Chrome OS and Linux devices using the following browsers:

Platform Browser Support
Desktop Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera
Mobile Android App (iOS not supported)

There used to also be support for Internet Explorer and Safari but it was discontinued.

Safari support ended in 2018 due to changes made by Apple that broke extensions like Amazon Assistant. For iOS users, the Assistant mobile app provides functionality missing from the discontinued Safari extension.

Hopefully Amazon considers reintroducing official support for Safari and other niche desktop browsers again someday. But for now, Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Opera on desktop plus Android devices are your only options.

Is Amazon Assistant Really Free?

Yes, Amazon Assistant is completely free to download and use! There are no hidden fees, subscriptions, or premium features.

You do need a standard free Amazon account to sign into the assistant. But anyone can create one of those at no cost.

In fact, Assistant users sometimes even get rewarded by Amazon just for installing it. They offer promotional credits around $5-10 for new users fairly often.

So not only is it free, but you may actually earn a bonus reward just by setting up Assistant and integrating your Amazon account!

Is It Safe to Use?

Yes, Amazon Assistant is perfectly safe and legitimate software when installed properly from official sources like:

  • The Chrome Web Store
  • Mozilla Add-on site for Firefox
  • Microsoft Store for Edge
  • Amazon‘s website

Amazon Assistant is an official Amazon product, not some sketchy third-party extension. As long as you download from reputable stores like above, it poses no real malware or security risks.

Of course, exercise common sense – don‘t enter your Amazon password into any shady popups or fakes claiming to be Assistant!

The only real concern to be aware of is the data Amazon Assistant collects behind the scenes (covered next). While not a risk per se, data privacy is something to consider.

Does Amazon Collect Your Data?

Amazon is quite transparent that Amazon Assistant does monitor and report certain browsing activity in order to function and provide personalized features.

Specific types of data collected include:

  • Product-related web activity like searches, items viewed, purchases made outside Amazon.
  • General location, device, and usage analytics to improve the extension.
  • Browsing interaction data like Assistant menu usage, clicks and settings.
  • Tracking information to attribute site referrals.

All of this data helps Amazon improve the relevance of the Assistant and tailor recommendations to you.

At the same time, Amazon pledges to never share your individual browsing habits or use data for anything other than supporting Assistant functionality.

So in summary – Amazon is very upfront that they do collect data from Amazon Assistant to better personalize it. If you are uncomfortable at all with Amazon monitoring any of your browsing activity, even just product/shopping related, you may wish to avoid this extension.

How to Install Amazon Assistant

Ready to start using Amazon Assistant? Here is how to install it:

Chrome

  1. Go to the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Click "+ Add to Chrome".
  3. Approve the installation in the popup dialog.
  4. Sign into Amazon Assistant with your Amazon account.

That‘s all it takes! The Assistant icon will now be available in your Chrome toolbar.

Firefox

  1. Navigate to the Firefox Add-Ons Site.
  2. Click "Add to Firefox".
  3. Confirm you want to add Amazon Assistant in the popup.
  4. Log into your Amazon account when prompted.

You‘ll then see Assistant installed and enabled in your Firefox addons.

Edge

  1. Visit the Microsoft Edge Addons Store.
  2. Click "Get".
  3. Click "Add Extension" to confirm installation.
  4. Sign into Assistant with your Amazon account.

That‘s all it takes for Edge. Amazon Assistant will now be available in your extensions menu.

Android

  1. Open the Google Play Store app.
  2. Search for "Amazon Assistant".
  3. Tap "Install" on the result from "Amazon Mobile LLC".
  4. Once installed, open the Amazon Assistant app.
  5. Sign into your Amazon account.

After logging in, you‘ll have access to all the same helpful features using the Android app!

How to Use Amazon Assistant‘s Features

Once installed, Amazon Assistant is simple and intuitive to use. Here are some of the key features:

  • Price comparisons – Don‘t do anything! Assistant automatically displays a popup on product pages comparing the Amazon price. Super easy.

  • Reviews – The popups show Amazon‘s reviews, ratings and photos for that item without leaving the site.

  • Wish lists – Click the Assistant toolbar icon and select "Wish List" to quickly access your lists. Easily save items with the "Add to list" link.

  • Shopping cart – View your Amazon cart contents and checkout progress by clicking "Cart" in the Assistant menu.

  • Notifications – Enable useful alerts about promotions, price drops and more in the "Notifications" tab.

  • Price tracking – Click "Price History" on any product popup to see how the price has changed over time on Amazon.

Poke around and explore – Amazon Assistant is designed to help you shop smarter in a quick and convenient way as you browse any site!

Why Amazon Assistant May Not Work

In most cases, Amazon Assistant works flawlessly. But here are some troubleshooting tips if you ever run into problems:

  • Make sure your internet is working properly. Amazon Assistant requires an active internet connection to load Amazon data.

  • Try updating the extension or app to the latest version if issues pop up suddenly. Software bugs can cause problems.

  • Confirm you have a supported browser like Chrome. Unsupported browsers will prevent Assistant from functioning.

  • Certain product limitations in Amazon‘s catalog can cause gaps in results. Really new or rare items sometimes don‘t load data.

  • If other browser extensions are causing conflicts, try temporarily disabling them to see if that helps.

  • Check your browser settings and make sure you have permissions enabled for Amazon Assistant to run.

Uninstalling and reinstalling the extension is also an easy way to fix any persistent technical problems.

Turning Off Annoying Popups

For most shoppers, Amazon Assistant‘s automatic popups provide helpful insights as you browse product pages online. But I understand they may sometimes feel intrusive or cluttered.

Here are a few ways to control the popups if needed:

  • Turn off Automatic Popups in the settings menu. This preserves Assistant functionality but prevents automatic popups.

  • Adjust the Notifications settings to disable certain popup types individually – like price drop alerts.

  • Click the X icon on any popup to stop that specific one from appearing again on that exact product page in the future. Nice for individual control.

Unfortunately there is no granular way to disable JUST certain popup types. But disabling all automatic popups does the trick if you find them bothersome.

Removing Amazon Assistant

Did you end up deciding Amazon Assistant isn‘t the ideal shopping tool for you after all? No worries, it‘s quick and easy to remove:

Chrome

  1. Click the 3 vertical dots > More Tools > Extensions.
  2. Find Amazon Assistant and click Remove.
  3. Confirm the removal in the popup box.

Firefox

  1. Click the 3 horizontal lines > Add-ons and themes.
  2. Find Amazon Assistant, click Remove.
  3. Confirm removal in the popup.

Edge

  1. Click the … > Extensions.
  2. Find Amazon Assistant, open the menu, and select Uninstall.
  3. Confirm removal in the popup.

Android

  1. Open your device Settings.
  2. Tap Apps & notifications.
  3. Tap Amazon Assistant.
  4. Tap Uninstall.
  5. Tap OK to confirm uninstall.

After uninstalling, Amazon Assistant will no longer run or show any popups as you browse. It‘s fully removed.

Alternatives to Amazon Assistant

While Amazon Assistant is a top choice for integrated Amazon shopping features, it‘s not for everyone.

Here are some alternative browser extensions to consider if you want similar help shopping online:

Honey – For the coupon hunter 💰

Honey automatically tries thousands of promo codes and coupons when you checkout at most major stores. A great way to save money without the effort of manually searching for codes.

CamelCamelCamel – For the price tracker 📈

CamelCamelCamel watches Amazon price history for any item and alerts you to price drops. More advanced tracking and graphics than Amazon Assistant alone.

Keepa – For the data lover 📊

Keepa tracks price history for Amazon products with detailed stats and graphs. Ideal for understanding price trends.

ShopSavvy – For the barcode scanner 📸

ShopSavvy lets you scan product barcodes in store and online to instantly compare prices at all major retailers.

Slide – For the cash back saver 💸

Slide offers cashback and rewards when you make purchases with participating retailers. You earn just for shopping normal sites through them.

So explore some options beyond Amazon Assistant too! There are so many great tools available to save money and shop smarter in today‘s online world.

I hope this guide gave you a comprehensive overview explaining what Amazon Assistant is, how it works, who can benefit from using it, and what to keep in mind regarding privacy.

While not for everyone, Amazon Assistant can be an incredibly helpful tool for deal hunting, researching purchases, organizing wish lists, and ultimately saving money as you shop online.

Now that you know the full scoop on Amazon Assistant, try it out for yourself! See if the convenience of integrated Amazon access makes your online shopping just a little bit smarter anywhere you browse.

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