Amazon has launched its AI-powered Shopping Assistant, Rufus, to all US customers via the Amazon Shopping App. Ruffus leverages Amazon’s product catalog, customer reviews, and web data to answer product questions, compare items, and provide tailored recommendations, thereby streamlining the shopping experience.
What Amazon’s Rufus Can Do:
- Conversational Shopping: ask Rufus for tailored recommendations, like what are the best gifts for kids under 5. Follow-up questions are also supported.
- Product Comparison: Rufus can compare items such as drip vs. pour-over brew makers to help you decide.
- Order and product information: users can track shipments, review previous orders, and access detailed account information.
- Accessibility: tap the designated icon in the mobile app to access a chat box at the bottom of the screen.
More ways Amazon is using AI
- Buy for me: Amazon is introducing features enabling Rufus to make purchases on behalf of users, including transactions with third-party merchants.
- Broader Initiatives: This development aligns with CEO Andy Jassy’s strategy to implement generative AI across all facets of Amazon’s operations.
Altogether, these moves position Amazon more competitively in AI and simplify product discovery for users.
After launching in the UK in September, Rufus is now in beta in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
Rufus is an AI-powered assistant trained on Amazon’s catalog and other sources, answering questions, making recommendations, and helping customers discover products within the familiar Amazon shopping experience.
Amazon has used artificial intelligence (AI) for over 25 years to improve the customer shopping experience. Customized suggestions, efficient pick packs in our fulfillment centers and Alexa’s, common assistant skills are just a few examples. We believe generative AI will change even more customer experiences.
In the past year, we’ve added several new generative AI features to the Amazon store to make shopping easier and more convenient. Generative AI also helps our selling partners create better titles and product descriptions, making listings more informative for customers. Building on these AI innovations, we are launching Ruffus in beta for customers in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Customers in the US, UK, and India have already asked Rufus tens of millions of questions, and we are excited to bring it to these new countries.
Ruffus makes it easier for customers to find the best products, whether they are starting with broad research like what to consider when buying running shoes, comparing options like what are the differences between face wash and face cleansing oil, or putting specific questions such as are these durable. Rufus is fully integrated into the Amazon shopping experience. Customers already know.
With Rufus, customers are able to:
- Customers can ask questions like ‘types of headphones’ or ‘types of coffee machines’ to get helpful shopping information.
- Customers can find products for specific occasions or needs by asking, for example, “What do I need for climbing?” Rufus suggests relevant items or categories and helps at any stage of the shopping process.
- Get help comparing options. Customers can ask Rufus to compare product features by asking questions like, “What’s the difference between lip gloss and lip oil?” or “Compare drip-to-drip coffee makers.” This helps them find the right product and make more confident decisions.
- Customers can ask for recommendations, such as the best gifts for other holidays or the best games for a 5-year-old. Rufus gives tailored answers for easy browsing.
With Rufus, customers shop with a generative AI-powered assistant that brings together information from many sources to help them make better purchase decisions.
How to Get Started With Rufus Beta.
Rufus is now available to select customers when they update their Amazon Shopping app. In the beta app, customers can tap the icon in the bottom-right corner to open a chat box. They can see answers, tap suggested questions, and ask follow-up questions. Chats can be closed at any time by swiping down, returning customers to their usual search results.
Rufus uses information from Amazon and other sources to help customers make better shopping decisions. Generative AI is still new, so it may not always be perfect. We will continue to improve Rufus over time. Customers can give feedback by rating answers with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, or by leaving comments.
We are excited about Generative AI and will continue testing new features to make shopping on Amazon even easier.
