Amazon has introduced Rufus, a new AI-powered shopping assistant designed to enhance the customer experience. This follows the rollout of an AI-powered image generation tool in beta last year.
Trained on Amazon’s product catalog and web information, Rufus helps users with shopping queries, comparisons, and product recommendations within the regular Amazon shopping interface.
It covers a range of inquiries, from general research on product categories to specific questions about durability. Key features of Rufus include:
General Product Research: Customers can inquire about considerations when purchasing items like headphones, car detailing products, or clean beauty items.
Shop by Occasion: Users can discover products based on specific activities or events, asking questions like “What do I need for cold weather golf?” or expressing an interest in starting an indoor garden.
Product Category Comparisons: Rufus assists in comparing different product categories, helping customers decide between options like lip gloss and lip oil or drip versus pour-over coffee makers.
Recommendations: Users can seek personalized recommendations, such as gift ideas for Valentine’s Day or the best dinosaur toys for a 5-year-old.
Specific Product Questions: Customers can obtain quick answers about individual products while on the product detail page, asking questions like whether a pickleball paddle is suitable for beginners or if a jacket is machine washable.
How to Access Rufus
To access Rufus, customers in the beta can update their Amazon Shopping app and start typing or speaking questions into the search bar.
A Rufus chat dialog box will appear at the bottom of the screen, offering answers, suggested questions, and the ability to ask follow-up questions.
Availability
Amazon announced that Rufus, in beta version, will progressively roll out to more U.S. customers in the coming weeks, initially available for a select group of users.
Commenting on the launch, Rajiv Mehta, Vice President, Search and Conversational Shopping, Amazon, and Trishul Chilimbi, Vice President and Distinguished Scientist, Stores Foundational AI, Amazon, said:
Amazon has utilized AI extensively for over 25 years to enhance customer experiences. Rufus, our generative AI, provides answers using information from Amazon and the web, aiding customers in making informed shopping decisions.
While it’s early for generative AI, we’re committed to refining our models and responses, ensuring Rufus becomes increasingly helpful. Excited about the potential, we’ll keep testing new features to simplify finding, discovering, researching, and buying products on Amazon.