Amazon’s Rufus Shopping Chat Assistant Goes Live for Consumers – RetailWire

Rufus, Amazon’s new generative AI-powered shopping assistant, is now available to all U.S. customers through the Amazon Shopping app. The goal of Rufus is to help users make informed purchase decisions by answering a wide range of shopping questions and providing product recommendations based on details from listings and customer reviews.

Customers can ask about product features, compare options, get the latest updates, track orders, and even inquire about unrelated topics. And when asking questions, customers are presented with other additional useful information related to their product. With tens of millions of questions already asked, Rufus aims to enhance the shopping experience by saving time and offering personalized assistance.

According to Amazon, “Customers are asking Rufus specific product questions, and Rufus is sharing answers based on the helpful information found in product listing details, customer reviews, and community Q&As.”

To use Rufus, customers only need to first make sure to update their Amazon app, and then they can tap the Rufus icon in the navigation bar section.

Amazon launched “Rufus,” its first AI-powered shopping assistant, earlier this year. Named after a dog belonging to early employees, Rufus used a large language model trained on Amazon’s product catalog, customer reviews, and web information. Unlike traditional keyword searches, Rufus allowed for vague or specific inquiries, helping users discover products, compare options, and receive tailored recommendations.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy emphasized that Rufus could retain context in conversations and provide thoughtful answers. Customers accessed Rufus in the mobile app by typing or speaking their questions, and the assistant could be dismissed for traditional search results. With Rufus, Amazon aimed to play a larger role in the shopping journey, potentially shifting ad spending away from Google and social media. The assistant was initially available in beta in February 2023, with broader rollout plans underway.