Amazon plans to launch an AI shopping assistant called Rufus exclusively for mobile users.
Amazon plans to launch an AI shopping assistant called Rufus, which will help customers compare products and answer complex queries. This shopping assistant is currently only available to users who use the Amazon mobile app. Shoppers can ask questions about product differences, gift recommendations, and specific products, and Rufus will provide answers using product listings, customer reviews, and community Q&A. This move by Amazon is in line with Walmart's introduction of AI tools. At the same time, Amazon's performance in the fourth quarter of 2023 was strong, with online revenue exceeding expectations and a 13% growth in Amazon Web Services revenue.
Zhitong App has learned that Amazon is adding an artificial intelligence shopping assistant to its retail stores to help customers better compare different products and answer more complex queries than keyword searches. It is understood that this shopping assistant, named Rufus, is currently in the testing phase and is only available to "some users of the Amazon mobile app".
According to Amazon, Rufus can answer questions such as "What is the difference between trail running shoes and road running shoes?" or "What are some good Valentine's Day gifts?" You can also ask specific questions about products on Amazon, such as "Can this jacket be machine washed?" The chatbot will use information from product listings, customer reviews, and community Q&A to provide answers.
For years, shoppers have manually entered keywords or product names in the search bar on Amazon to find specific items or search for items based on their features. With the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT and other generative AI tools, these tools can generate product recommendations and comparisons based on conversational text, making Amazon's functionality suddenly seem outdated.
In contrast, Walmart expanded the scope of an artificial intelligence tool launched last month, which allows shoppers to search for products using use cases rather than specific product names. iOS users can use this application on Walmart's app.
Amazon announced strong fourth-quarter performance for 2023 on Friday morning. Overall, the holiday shopping season boosted the e-commerce giant's online revenue, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) revenue surged 13%, alleviating analysts' concerns about slowing demand for Amazon's cloud services and a declining growth rate. Advertising revenue continued to accelerate for the fourth consecutive quarter.