Amazon’s AI-powered shopping assistant, “Rufus,” is now live for all U.S. customers in the Amazon mobile app, the retail giant announced on Friday. Positioned conveniently at the bottom right of the app’s main navigation bar, Rufus is designed to enhance the shopping experience by assisting customers in finding products, comparing items, and offering personalized recommendations.
Initially available in beta to select U.S. customers, Rufus has now been rolled out to everyone following extensive testing involving “tens of millions of questions.” This broader launch comes after its initial announcement in February, marking a significant step in Amazon’s integration of AI technology to improve customer service.
A Smart Shopping Companion
Rufus is powered by a specialized internal large language model (LLM) tailored for shopping. It has been trained on Amazon’s vast product catalog, customer reviews, community Q&As, and various public information sources. However, Amazon has not disclosed the specific websites used to enhance the assistant’s recommendation capabilities.
The AI chatbot can handle a wide range of inquiries, from general product questions to specific comparisons. Users can ask, “What should I consider when buying headphones?” or “What do I need for cold weather golf?” Rufus provides detailed suggestions based on customer reviews and expert analyses available online.
For instance, if you’re interested in starting an indoor garden, you can simply tell Rufus, “I want to start an indoor garden,” and it will recommend the best products to get started.
Interactive and Informative
During the beta phase, Amazon observed that customers frequently clicked on related questions that appeared in the chat window, helping to refine their inquiries. For example, after asking, “What’s the material of this backpack?” customers might tap on, “What do other customers say?” to gather more insights.
Rufus’s capabilities extend beyond mere product information. When asked about a pool umbrella for Florida, it provided useful information about Florida’s weather and humidity, demonstrating its broader understanding of context.
Trendy and Up-to-Date
Rufus keeps customers informed about the latest fashion trends and technological advancements. Users can inquire about the newest models of tech gadgets or current popular styles, ensuring they stay ahead of trends.
Moreover, Rufus assists with order management, helping customers find past orders or track the arrival of current purchases.
Easy Access
To access Rufus, U.S. customers need to update to the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app. The assistant is accessible via an icon featuring chat bubbles with a sparkle, located in the bottom navigation bar.
Initial Reviews and Future Improvements
Initial tests by TechCrunch revealed that Rufus serves as a competent shopping companion, generally avoiding problematic answers to non-shopping queries. However, it occasionally falters in accuracy and is limited to Amazon’s product catalog, which might sometimes affect the quality of its recommendations.
Amazon is committed to continuously improving Rufus, ensuring it evolves to better serve customer needs.
With Rufus, Amazon aims to revolutionize the shopping experience by providing a smarter, more intuitive way to shop. Try it out today and discover a new era of online shopping!
