seller
- What changed
- Ad formats inside Amazon's AI shopping conversations
- When
- Announced at unBoxed, September 29, 2026
- Who it affects
- Brand owners running Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands
- What to do
- Tighten listing content now; ask your Amazon Ads contact about access
Key takeaways
- Branded Conversations puts brand guidance into Alexa for Shopping answers.
- Sponsored Prompts suggest products, with wording written by Amazon.
- Conversational Briefs let brands feed product pairings and use cases to the AI.
Amazon's conversational ad tools
| Branded Conversations | Sponsored Prompts | Conversational Briefs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Brand guidance in chats | Sponsored product suggestion | Brand input to AI |
| Where | Alexa for Shopping | Search or past purchase | Ads console |
| Brand controls | Products and guidance | Products, not wording | Pairings and use cases |
What Amazon announced
At the unBoxed 2026 opening keynote, Muthu Muthukrishnan, VP of Sponsored Products and Brands, introduced Branded Conversations. Amazon says it targets shoppers who use Alexa for Shopping to research products, compare options and buy. AdExchanger's coverage from the event added two related pieces: Sponsored Prompts and Conversational Briefs. Our roundup of new Amazon features for sellers in 2026 lists the wider announcements; this story focuses on the conversational formats.
Branded Conversations
Branded Conversations lets a brand explain what makes its products different, how they meet customer needs and how they work together. Amazon's own example is a skin care brand explaining which cleanser suits oily, sensitive or beginner skin and recommending a toner, serum, moisturizer and sunscreen to match. When a shopper taps a prompt such as help me build a daily routine, Alexa for Shopping can answer with that brand's guidance. AdExchanger described the unit as an agentic version of frequently bought together ads that can show brand colors, fonts and imagery and suggest follow-up prompts.
Sponsored Prompts
Sponsored Prompts suggest a product in response to a shopper's search or a recent purchase. According to AdExchanger, Amazon writes the prompt wording itself, even though the prompt is labeled as sponsored. That means brands control the products and guidance, not the exact words shoppers see.
Conversational Briefs and brand controls
Conversational Briefs let advertisers inform Amazon's AI recommendations. Brands can list products that are often bought together and add free text on descriptions, features and use cases. Advertisers cannot choose which reviews the AI surfaces, and Amazon says it will give feedback through the console if a brief breaks its guidelines or contains false information.
Get listings AI-ready
- Use cases in bullets
- Product pairings mapped
- All attributes filled
- Claims accurate
- Reviews on new ASINs
What we do not know yet
Amazon's announcement page does not give availability, markets, pricing or launch dates for Branded Conversations, so treat it as coming rather than live. AdExchanger did report that a separate new format, Request Reviews for Sponsored Ads, runs on a cost per click basis for products with fewer than 1,000 reviews.
Why it matters for sellers
In an AI conversation there is no page of ten sponsored results. The assistant recommends a few products and explains why. The inputs it leans on are your listing, your reviews and, with these formats, your brief. Brands with clear use cases, complete attributes and honest claims are better placed than brands relying on keyword-stuffed titles. Our guide to Amazon Rufus optimization covers the listing side of AI shopping.
- Write use cases and who each product is for into bullets
- Map which products are bought together and why
- Fill every attribute in the catalog
- Check claims are accurate and provable
- Build review volume on newer products
What PPC Spider recommends this week
Prepare a one-page brief for each product family: who it is for, what it pairs with and what makes it different. That work improves listings today and is ready when the formats open. Our Amazon PPC management team runs Sponsored Products and Brands with SpiderOS, which sets target ACoS from product margin after fees. Plans start at $995 a month, or start with a free audit. More on the Amazon advertising news channel.
Sources
- Amazon Ads: unBoxed 2026 news and announcements (advertising.amazon.com/library/news/unboxed-2026-news-announcements)
- AdExchanger: Amazon Gets Conversational With New Agentic Ad Formats And Brand Controls (adexchanger.com/platforms/amazon-gets-conversational-with-new-agentic-ad-formats-and-brand-controls/)
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