The name of a dog, but the technology of a spaceship. It’s about Rufusa new AI tool announced by Amazonwhich promises to be a intelligent shopping assistant.
The solution is designed for consumer segment (therefore buyers on Amazon), and will help users in their purchasing journey. For example: Are you looking for a product but not sure how to find it? Or are you undecided between two different models? This is where Rufus comes into play, who as a good shopping assistant will guide you in the research and choice process.
How does Amazon Rufus AI work?
As mentioned, Rufus uses artificial intelligence (AI). The technology can understand natural language and leverage machine learning to understand customers’ questions and provide them with relevant answers. Practically Rufus becomes what a clerk is in physical stores (or shop assistant).
Rufus will be integrated into the Amazon mobile app (both iOS and Android) and can be used both in chat form and with the microphone. In the latter case, customers can use their voice to ask Rufus specific questions. You can then ask him to recommend products based on specific characteristics, or filter them by price range or reviews. Not only that: he can also answer our doubts about specific products.
In the after-sales phase, Rufus will also be ready to answer all your questions questions regarding shipping of the product or upon return of the same.
When he’ll come?
Rufus is currently being tested for a select group of Amazon customers in the United States. The test is expected to be expanded to more areas in the coming months.
However, it is difficult to hypothesize a global launch period. Furthermore, it is not even clear if and how Amazon intends to implement Rufus in devices already equipped with Alexa (which, remember, has not yet benefited from integration with AI).
