Alexa replaces Rufus as Amazon’s AI shopping assistant

Rufus He went to the doghouse. Amazon It replaces the AI ​​assistant for e-commerce With Alexa Shopping, which will be available to all US customers within a week.

The new feature will be available to customers using the Amazon Shopping app and website as well Echo display Devices. It’s free to use when people log in to their accounts, and consumers don’t need a Prime membership.

On mobile, customers can update their Amazon shopping app and look for the Alexa icon in the bottom navigation bar. On desktop, customers can find Alexa Shopping in the menu banner near the top of Amazon pages.

But Rufus – so named The corgi that roamed the company’s first warehouse In 1996 – it hasn’t completely lost its power. Alexa for Shopping combines Rufus’ product expertise with the knowledge and personal context of Alexa Plus, Amazon said.

Alexa Plus It’s Amazon’s generative AI assistant, designed to be more conversational and have more capabilities than the more command-oriented Alexa. Alexa Plus, available on the app, Echo devices, Alexa.com and Amazon.com, can help people find good restaurants, schedule their week, manage smart homes, and more.

Getting to know you

Amazon said data shared on all Alexa-enabled devices will be used to help Alexa Plus find products, compare items, track prices, reorder items, and make personalized recommendations.

Alexa customers can use the Alexa Privacy Dashboard, which you can find on desktop here Or in the app under More > Alexa Privacy, to manage whether and how long audio recordings are saved, listen to what Alexa heard, and read past chats.

Alexa for Shopping will be more like having a “personal shopper who already knows you and remembers your preferences, past purchases, and conversations… you don’t have to start over,” Rajeev Mehta, vice president of conversational shopping at Amazon, said in a press release.

Customers can also use Alexa for Shopping to set price alerts to notify them if the cost of a particular item drops below a set threshold.

Alexa in the search bar

Amazon customers primarily used the search bar on the Amazon.com website or in the app to search for items. The company said that people can now ask questions in the search bar or in the chat window to get help from Alexa for shopping.

Alexa for Shopping can also help customers compare products side-by-side, view price histories for products over the past year, schedule repeat purchases and receive alerts when certain products are available, Amazon said.

The company said the new feature could help customers purchase items from other online retailers. Customers can use the Buy for Me AI feature to purchase the item for you using your address and credit card. Typically, Buy for Me will search for products on other websites if they are not available on Amazon.

Many online retailers use AI-powered shopping assistants, including Walmart’s Sparky, eBay’s ShopBot, Sephora, and Home Depot with its Material List Builder tool.