Just some days earlier than this yr’s Prime Day sale, Amazon rolled out a brand new app-only chat characteristic to all US prospects to help with their buying.
Known as Rufus, the AI assistant has been educated on Amazon’s merchandise, critiques and Q&As, together with data from the net. Its objective is to reply questions on your buying wants and Amazon’s merchandise, in addition to to make product comparisons — and to encourage you to spend. However Rufus additionally warns: “My solutions are powered by AI, so I’ll not at all times get issues proper.”
It is refreshing to get that sort of caveat proper up entrance. Generative AI software program has been tormented by improper solutions and hallucinations. Google’s AI Overviews mishaps in search outcomes a couple of weeks again weren’t an remoted drawback.
Within the final 18 months, we have seen the arrival of a number of generative AI assistants, together with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude and Adobe’s Firefly. Errors however, they’re able to extraordinary duties, from writing A-plus essays to creating never-before-seen pictures. However e-commerce is one class the place we have not seen as a lot exercise, and I used to be curious how Amazon’s shopping-specific assistant stacked up.
I took Rufus for a check drive and located an AI assistant that was keen to assist reply questions past buying. I additionally found it was higher at diving into particulars about particular merchandise than responding to broader queries, which is considerably curious given the bucketloads of information Amazon has on its 200 million Prime members within the US. Plus, the benefit of use leaves one thing to be desired.
How one can get began with Amazon Rufus
First off, you want the Amazon app. As soon as downloaded, search for the orange and blue icon within the backside right-hand nook. Faucet on it to ask Rufus a query by both typing your question or saying it out loud. As soon as you discover merchandise to buy, you add them to your Amazon cart as standard.
Discovering a seaside learn
I wished to begin off simple, so I went with the product class that began all of it: books. Given the season, I requested: What is an effective summer season seaside learn?
As you’ll be able to see within the picture, it looks like Rufus is counting on key phrases to do the heavy lifting right here. It urged books like Seashore Learn, A Novel Summer time and The Summer time Place.
I used to be curious how Rufus compares to Amazon’s web site search and Alexa, so I requested them about seaside reads, too.
Once I made the identical question on-site, I bought a very totally different set of suggestions than what Rufus served up, together with Carley Fortune’s Each Summer time After and Jan Moran’s Seabreeze Inn.
And once I requested Alexa, she stated, “There are not any books matching ‘summer season seaside’ in your Audible library.”
Rufus’ response is nearly comically keyword-driven, so I’ve to provide the sting to the Amazon web site on this one.
I reached out to Amazon for extra insights into how Rufus does its job, however it didn’t reply.
Looking for a pet’s birthday
I’ve a pet with a birthday arising, so subsequent I requested: What ought to I get for my canine’s first birthday?
Rufus stated, “Have a good time your furry good friend’s first birthday with particular treats and toys! Search for sturdy chew toys, interactive puzzles and scrumptious canine treats made with high-quality components.”
The response was much less clearly keyword-driven, however it was nonetheless pretty generic. It included hyperlinks to product classes, however these simply took me to fundamental search pages on Amazon for these phrases.
By comparability, Amazon’s on-site outcomes gave the impression to be extra targeted on key phrases right here, providing up a collection of first-birthday bandanas and canine social gathering packages with banners that say, “It is my bday, motherpuppers!”
Once I requested Alexa the identical query, this was the reply: “In your canine’s first birthday, it’s customary to provide them a toy as a gift. This is usually a stuffed animal, a ball, or some other merchandise that’s enjoyable for canine to play with.”
Alexa additionally provided extra canine details, together with common lifespan (in case I wasn’t but pondering my canine’s mortality).
Procuring on a Winnie the Pooh theme
My son has just lately found the present Playdate with Winnie the Pooh on Disney Plus, and he is obsessed, so I requested Rufus: What are the perfect Winnie the Pooh merchandise on Amazon?
The response, proven above partially, wasn’t horrible. Nevertheless, when you click on on a urged hyperlink, it is exhausting to return to the earlier web page — it is like Rufus needs you to go additional down a rabbit gap.
Once I requested the identical query on-site and put the question to Alexa, I bought an entire totally different vary of Winnie the Pooh objects, together with totally different plush toys, a water bottle, a keychain, make-up and a backpack. So every platform appears to have a unique concept about what “finest” means.
Looking for house enchancment merchandise
I just lately completed a house enchancment undertaking, and since Rufus can supposedly make suggestions concerning the merchandise you want for duties like an at-home manicure, yoga and gardening, I made a decision to ask one thing I sort of already knew: What do I have to wallpaper a rest room?
“When choosing wallpaper for a loo, prioritize moisture-resistant and washable supplies like vinyl or non-woven materials. Search for excessive scrubbability rankings and mildew/mildew resistance to resist humidity,” Rufus stated.
It included nothing about paste, brushes, a straightedge or a field cutter in its first reply, however it did recommend that my subsequent query needs to be, “What instruments are wanted for wallpaper set up?” After which it supplied a greater reply.
However once more, once you click on on these product listings, you are taken to a generic Amazon search web page, and it is exhausting to return as soon as you’ve got clicked by way of on the primary product.
Alexa was additionally pretty useful by way of product suggestions for a wallpaper undertaking.
They each had higher solutions than the web site, which provided up a vinyl decal that stated “Toilet” in cursive, together with a bunch of indicators that stated, “You by no means know what you could have till it is gone,” alongside a picture of an empty roll of bathroom paper.
Was Rufus prepared for Prime Day 2024?
I attempted asking Rufus concerning the annual gross sales promotion in a number of methods previous to the sale, however the AI buying assistant did not know what to say past the fundamentals.
First, I requested: What are the perfect Prime Day offers for me? Earlier than the sale, Rufus instructed me to count on offers on all kinds of merchandise, as you’ll be able to see under.
After the sale began, Rufus bought a little bit higher, however nonetheless provided broad recommendations, like: What are the highest Prime Day offers on electronics? What Prime Day offers provide the largest reductions? And what Prime Day offers can be found for house home equipment?
To be honest, Rufus does have a urged seek for Prime Day offers for you, however the outcomes had been nonetheless a really generic assortment of merchandise — at the very least for me.
On the lookout for Prime Day offers
I attempted to broaden the question a bit: What are the perfect Prime Day offers?
I bought the identical outcomes as final time.
I believed possibly asking about Prime Day offers as an entire was too massive a problem, given the scope, so I bought extra particular: Do you could have any Prime Day offers on canine toys?
Earlier than the sale, Rufus may solely say:
“Prime Day is Amazon’s largest international buying occasion, completely for Amazon Prime members, and can happen on July 16 and 17. Head over to the Prime Day web page to study extra.”
Throughout Prime Day, nevertheless, Rufus was capable of level me to some canine toys with reductions.
I gave it yet another shot: Will there be any Winnie the Pooh offers on Prime Day?
Alas, Rufus stated, “I can not reply this query. I’m AI know-how created by Amazon that can assist you ask questions, get suggestions and examine choices whilst you store.”
Given the quantity of information Amazon has on us and our search and buy behaviors, I am shocked to not see one thing extra customized for Prime Day. In spite of everything, it is sort of like a giant storage sale, with a dizzying array of product offers. I do know Amazon calls out some merchandise for every of us on the homepage all through the sale, however I really feel like it will be useful if Rufus or Alexa may assist zero in on the merchandise I might be most occupied with.
Then once more, possibly it is like sweet and magazines on the checkout register — Amazon needs you to browse and improve your basket measurement with the stuff you throw in your cart alongside the way in which.
The place does Amazon Rufus excel?
Amazon has some suggestions for utilizing Rufus, which is the place it is most useful. These consists of questions like: How do I put together for Prime Day? When is Prime Day? Are Prime Day Offers only for members?
One of many urged questions Rufus surfaced for me was: Which books are thought-about classics in literature?
Rufus referred to as out To Kill a Mockingbird, Satisfaction and Prejudice, The Nice Gatsby, The Catcher within the Rye and 1984, which is not a foul listing.
Then it urged I ask concerning the themes that literary classics discover, or what defines a e-book as a literary traditional.
And so Rufus’ energy, for now, most likely lies in these urged queries.
However Amazon says Rufus can inform you extra about sure merchandise, so I went again to a pair of linen pants Amazon advisable for me a number of occasions. You’ll be able to see its responses to my questions within the picture.
Every response asks for suggestions, so you’ll be able to fee it with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down after which verify choices bins like, “That is inaccurate” or “That is irrelevant.”
Amazon says it will assist Rufus get higher over time.
For now, I believe Rufus is finest after you have a selected product in thoughts moderately than asking this new AI assistant to type by way of the thousands and thousands of merchandise on the market on the positioning. Possibly by Prime Day 2025, it’s going to be capable of reply extra customized queries.
