Amazon is officially replacing its AI shopping assistant Rufus with a more advanced feature called Alexa for Shopping.
The upgraded assistant will roll out to all customers in the United States within the next week and aims to create a more personalized and conversational shopping experience across Amazon's ecosystem.
Alexa for Shopping Adds Personalized Recommendations
According to Amazon's blog, the new assistant combines Rufus' product knowledge with the conversational capabilities of Alexa Plus, the company's generative AI platform.
Alexa for Shopping will be accessible through the Amazon Shopping app, the Amazon website, and Echo Show devices.
The Seattle giant confirmed that the feature will be available free of charge to users signed into their Amazon accounts, with no Prime membership required.
Unlike earlier Alexa experiences that relied heavily on direct commands, Alexa Plus focuses on natural conversations, context awareness, and personalized assistance. Users can ask questions conversationally and receive tailored recommendations based on their shopping history and preferences.
The assistant can also compare products, monitor price changes, reorder household items, schedule recurring purchases, and notify customers when products become available or drop in price.
Rajiv Mehta explained that Amazon's goal is to make Alexa function more like a personal shopping assistant that already understands a customer's habits and preferences.
Amazon Expands AI Shopping Beyond Its Marketplace
One of the most significant additions is Amazon's new "Buy for Me" AI feature, according to CNET.
If a product is unavailable directly through Amazon, Alexa for Shopping can locate the item on another retailer's website and complete the purchase using the customer's saved payment and shipping information.
Amazon is also integrating the assistant directly into its search bar, allowing users to replace traditional keyword searches with more natural conversations and detailed shopping requests.
AI Shopping Competition Continues To Flourish
AI shopping assistants have been diverse, and with chatbots helping them carry out tasks, it will just get easier each year.
Major retailers, including Walmart, eBay, Sephora, and The Home Depot, have also introduced AI-driven assistants in recent years.
Amazon confirmed that users will retain control over privacy settings and voice recordings through the Alexa Privacy Dashboard to give customers greater transparency regarding how their information is stored and managed.
Originally published on Tech Times
