Amazon has announced the UK launch of Rufus, a generative AI-powered conversational shopping assistant designed to revolutionise the online shopping experience.

Rufus is now available in beta to a select group of UK customers on the Amazon mobile app, with plans for a wider rollout in the coming weeks.

Leveraging Amazon's vast product catalogue and information from the web, Rufus is capable of answering a wide range of customer questions, providing personalised product recommendations, and facilitating seamless product discovery within the familiar Amazon shopping environment.

How Rufus works

Rufus offers customers a variety of features.

Customers can conduct product research by asking queries such as 'Types of headphones' or 'Types of coffee machines'.

Rufus can also provide personalised recommendations based on specific needs, occasions, or purposes by asking a range of questions such as 'What do I need for climbing?' or 'I want to start an indoor garden'.

Rufus then suggests shoppable product categories and related questions that customers can click on for more specific searches. 

Additionally, customers can compare different products side-by-side by asking questions such as 'What's the difference between lip gloss and lip oil?'

Finally, Rufus can provide detailed information about specific products, including whether a jacket is machine washable, or a drill is easy to hold.

Benefits for customers

With Rufus, customers can save time by quickly finding the products they need without browsing through endless options.

They can also make informed decisions by getting personalised recommendations and detailed product information.

Furthermore, Rufus enhances the shopping experience by providing a more intuitive and engaging way to shop online.

As generative AI technology continues to evolve, Amazon said it is committed to exploring new ways to leverage its capabilities to improve the shopping experience for its customers.