Is Amazon’s AI, Rufus, Really There to Help Consumers … or Just to Sell More Goods?

Amazon introduced Rufus earlier this year, aiming to integrate AI into its website and app, a generative AI tool designed to help customers choose and understand products more easily. The AI has been in testing for some time now and is likely to have greater impact over time as it becomes smarter and integrates into Amazon further. The question remains: is this feature truly designed to make shopping easier or simply to boost sales? These two questions could be one in the same but some recent findings support the notion from a consumer point of view.

We have carried out some research and found that as a consumer when Rufus was prompted with “show price history”, it displays a price history which is a feature typically used by ecommerce professionals, but now accessible to everyday shoppers. The information can help a consumer understand whether a brand's current discount is really a discount at all.

Is this an oversight from Amazon? Tech providers such as Helium10 and Keepa can inform ecommerce experts on pricing so it is widely available but now through Rufus it can be in the hands of anyone. This could offer real value to consumers who adopt a more informed, price-conscious approach as it forces brands to really look at their pricing strategies and prioritise giving discounts to consumers when it matters.

Whether intentional or not, this is a welcome feature and could become a key differentiator from Google’s and ChatGPT’s ecommerce integrations through further informing customers on value details before they purchase. If you need support optimising your Amazon approach for Rufus and Amazon algorithm, get in touch today!