Amazon’s AI image search raises the bar for Big Lots shoppers

Amazon’s new AI image search is pushing shopping further away from broad category browsing and toward exact visual matches. The feature, rolled out in the company’s shopping app on June 8, lets customers describe what they want and see AI-generated images that reflect pattern, color and texture, starting with apparel and home goods and set to expand into more categories.

For Big Lots workers, the competitive meaning is immediate: shoppers are likely to show up with a sharper picture in mind. Instead of asking for a lamp or comforter and accepting whatever is nearby, they may arrive with screenshots, style references and a much narrower idea of the look they want. That puts more weight on product placement, shelf tags, signage and the ability of associates to translate a customer’s description into something on hand.

Amazon’s own examples show how search behavior is changing. The company says the tool is designed for shoppers who know the look they want but do not know the term, such as “cowl neck” or “rattan.” As customers type descriptive language, AI-generated images appear beneath the search bar, and shoppers can tap the one that best matches their vision to shop visually similar products. Amazon says it has been using AI to improve shopping for more than 25 years and now offers more than 300 million items with fast, free delivery for Prime members across more than 35 categories.

The company has been layering on visual search quickly. In October 2024, Amazon added five visual search features, including visual suggestions, More Like This, text added to image searches, product videos in search results and the ability to circle items in an image to search for them. At the time, Amazon said visual search queries had jumped 70% globally year over year. It launched Lens Live in September 2025 as a real-time visual search tool, then renamed Rufus to Alexa for Shopping on May 13, 2026.

Big Lots is facing that shift from a weaker position than most chains. The company filed voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings on September 9, 2024, later said Variety Wholesalers could acquire between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores and up to two distribution centers, and court records show the Chapter 11 cases were converted to Chapter 7 effective November 10, 2025. Big Lots’ store locator currently lists 219 locations, a reminder that every sale matters. Variety Wholesalers described its transaction as a way to preserve the brand and prevent thousands of layoffs, which makes execution on the sales floor even more important as customers get used to AI narrowing choices before they ever speak to an employee.