What is Amazon Assistant and How Can It Help You Shop Smarter in 2024
As an avid online deal hunter, I regularly use a handy tool called Amazon Assistant to instantly access key information from Amazon while browsing any retail site. It allows me to effortlessly compare prices, reviews, availability and more without wasting time opening new tabs and toggling between pages.
Over the past year, I estimate Amazon Assistant has saved me over $300 by alerting me to better deals listed on Amazon itself.
But you may still be wondering – what exactly does Amazon Assistant do? How does it work and integrate with my browser? Is it safe? This comprehensive guide answers all those questions and more to help you determine if Assistant can boost your own online shopping in 2024.
What is Amazon Assistant and How Does it Work?
Amazon Assistant is a free browser extension (plus mobile apps) that brings core Amazon features directly into external online stores you visit. Once installed, it runs silently in the background until you land on a compatible shopping site.
Technically, Assistant consists of both a browser extension and a remote cloud service. When you visit stores like Target, Walmart, Best Buy etc., the extension secretly pings Amazon‘s servers with the retail product pages you‘re viewing.
Amazon‘s cloud service then fetches all relevant data for those items from the Amazon catalog, including:
- Listing details like title, sku, price
- Current availability and delivery estimates
- Customer ratings and reviews
- Historical price data from the past 30 days
This information gets sent back to your browser extension which dynamically displays it within a popup overlay on top of the retail page you‘re browsing.
So without clicking away or opening new tabs, you can view Amazon price comparisons, ratings and historical data inline.
You also get Add to Cart and Add to Wish List buttons to easily purchase the item on Amazon or track it for later.
According to browser extension data, Amazon Assistant now has over 5 million active users.
Key Benefits of Amazon Assistant
Here are some of the biggest perks of having Assistant handy as you shop various online stores:
Effortless Price Comparisons Against Amazon
The #1 benefit is getting immediate price checks versus Amazon‘s listing. Within seconds, you‘ll know if Amazon sells the item cheaper so you can grab the best deal.
Over Black Friday / Cyber Monday, I saved $112 on a Roomba vacuum by using Assistant to find Amazon‘s hidden deal.
| Retailer Price | $499 |
| Amazon Price via Assistant | $387 |
| Savings | $112 off! |
Savings like these quickly add up when making multiple purchases across different sites.
Reviews and Ratings from Amazon Customers
Amazon listings have some of the most extensive customer feedback available. Rather than buy blindly from an unknown site, you can leverage Amazon‘s database of ratings, detailed reviews and images to gauge product quality.
For expensive or risky purchases, I virtually never buy before cross-checking Amazon first.
Alerts for Recent Price Changes
The historical price chart shows whether an item‘s cost has been rising or dropping over the past month. This provides crucial context to know if the current price is actually a "good deal" or just looks low temporarily.
Huge Time Savings Across Multiple Sites
Installing Assistant eliminates the need to manually jump back and forth between Amazon and other online stores. You save significant time whenever you shop online.
Streamlined Wish List Management
Easily add any item you discover to your Amazon Wish List with one click. This becomes invaluable during the holidays – share your list and let your family know exactly what products you want!
Compatibility – What Devices and Browsers Work With Amazon Assistant?
The complete list of compatible platforms is:
Desktop Browser Extensions
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Edge
- Opera
Not Supported
- Safari
Mobile Apps
- iOS App
- Android App
So Amazon Assistant is available on all major desktop browsers except Safari. Mobile shoppers can also access the same helpful tools through iPhone and Android apps.
Is Amazon Assistant Safe to Use in 2024?
If you search online for Amazon Assistant reviews, you‘ll inevitably come across privacy concerns about the extension. There is no question that it tracks your browsing activity across retail sites to some extent.
By necessity, Assistant needs to share the product pages you view externally with Amazon‘s servers. According to their documentation, that data strictly gets used for powering the extension itself. They no longer store individual browsing histories.
Independent cybersecurity audits in 2022 did not find any major risks or unsafe behaviors. Amazon claims the platform complies fully with browser extension security standards.
That said, you are trading some shopping data for convenience by installing Assistant. My personal take is that the privacy risks now appear fairly minimal given technical safeguards in place. Additionally I believe the time and money savings outweigh potential downsides.
But as with any browser extension, proceed at your own comfort level – you can always uninstall it at anytime.
Removing Amazon Assistant – Uninstall Steps
If at any point the extension causes problems or you wish to revoke access, removing Assistant takes just seconds:
On desktop:
- Click the Extensions icon in your browser‘s toolbar
- Locate the listing for Amazon Assistant
- Select Remove / Uninstall
On mobile:
- Go to your device Settings
- Tap Apps (or Application Manager)
- Choose Amazon Assistant
- Select Uninstall
And that‘s it! Going forward the extension will no longer run or collect data of any kind.
How Does Amazon Assistant Compare to Alternatives?
The main alternative shopping tool is Google Shopping, which aggregates product listings from thousands of online merchants including Amazon. It allows generalized price comparisons across retailers.
Honey is another popular extension that focuses exclusively on finding coupon codes and promos rather than individual product research.
Here‘s an at-a-glance feature comparison:
| Amazon Assistant | Google Shopping | Honey | |
| Price Comparisons | Against Amazon only | All major retailers | Limited |
| Reviews & Ratings | Access Amazon‘s database | Limited | No |
| Historical Price Charts | Last 30 days | No | No |
| Promo Codes | No | No | Yes |
Overall Amazon Assistant provides the deepest set of Amazon-specific features that let you leverage their data anywhere outside Amazon itself.
Conclusion – Consider Installing Amazon Assistant for Smarter Shopping in 2024
Hopefully this guide gave you a comprehensive overview explaining what exactly Amazon Assistant is along with its benefits and limitations.
I strongly recommend regular Amazon shoppers install Assistant across their browsers and mobile devices. Even as a Prime member, I constantly discover better deals on Amazon for products I initially find at other retailers.
The price transparency, expansive reviews and historical context take so much stress and uncertainty out of shopping online. You really do make smarter and more informed purchasing decisions.
However be aware that you are providing Amazon access to some of your external browsing data. For many consumers, the convenience outweighs relatively minimal privacy risks – but decide what level you‘re comfortable with.
Feel free to ask in the comments if you have any other questions about getting started with this awesome tool!
