Amazon has unveiled its latest innovation, an AI-powered shopping assistant named Rufus, sharing its name with its beloved corgi mascot. This advanced chatbot leverages Amazon’s extensive product catalogue and customer feedback, as well as internet-sourced information, to field queries about items, compare products, offer recommendations, and more.
Currently in its beta phase, Rufus is accessible to a limited group of “select customers,” with plans to expand availability shortly. Those who are part of the beta can engage with Rufus by initiating a chat within Amazon’s mobile app, either by typing or speaking their questions into the search bar. A chat window for Rufus will then appear at the screen’s bottom, where users can view responses, choose from prompted questions, or pose new queries.
Amazon began integrating responses from its AI chatbot on certain product pages for a subset of users earlier this month. Rufus is designed to handle inquiries such as “What are the differences between trail and road running shoes?” or “What are good gifts for Valentine’s Day?” It can also address specific questions about products displayed on Amazon, like “Is this jacket machine washable?” by drawing upon details from the product description, customer reviews, and community Q&As to deliver its answers.
Despite the potential for enhanced user interaction, there’s some concern over the additional screen space Rufus might occupy, especially for those who prefer a more streamlined browsing experience. Initial impressions suggest that Rufus will prompt users with suggested questions even during simple searches, such as looking up “coffee maker.” While the effectiveness and utility of this feature remain to be personally assessed, it introduces a novel element to the online shopping experience on Amazon.
