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Rufus, Amazon’s AI Shopping Assistant, Finally Lands in Europe

ByHilary Ong

Oct 31, 2024

Rufus, Amazon’s AI Shopping Assistant, Finally Lands in Europe

Amazon’s AI-powered shopping chatbot, Rufus, is officially making its way across Europe. After launching stateside in February and landing in the U.K. last month, Rufus is now available in beta for Amazon users in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.

It’s a gradual rollout, so if you’re in one of these countries and can’t find Rufus just yet, you might have to wait a couple more weeks for the app update to reach you.

To start chatting with Rufus, look for the chat icon at the bottom right of Amazon’s mobile app. Tap it, and you’re set to ask Rufus anything from product details to comparison advice—whether a jacket is machine washable or which shoes stand up best to daily wear.

And since Rufus is still in beta, Amazon’s encouraging feedback by letting users rate answers with thumbs up or down. There’s even an option to leave more detailed comments if Rufus totally misses the mark.

So, how does Rufus actually know all this stuff? Amazon has loaded it up with data from its entire product catalog, user reviews, community questions, and even outside sources to give answers as relevant as possible. But as with any AI tool still in early days, Amazon is quick to remind users that Rufus may not always get it right. It’s generative AI, after all, so while it’s designed to learn from user input, some answers could fall a little short.

In the U.S. and U.K., Rufus has already seen positive engagement, helping users quickly narrow down product choices in the vast Amazon marketplace. As it launches across Europe, Amazon hopes Rufus will offer the same level of assistance, allowing users to shop smarter with the support of AI-driven responses.

If Rufus performs as Amazon anticipates, European shoppers could soon find themselves relying on the chatbot for a new, more intuitive Amazon experience.


Featured Image courtesy of Amazon

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Hilary Ong

Hello, from one tech geek to another. Not your beloved TechCrunch writer, but a writer with an avid interest in the fast-paced tech scenes and all the latest tech mojo. I bring with me a unique take towards tech with a honed applied psychology perspective to make tech news digestible. In other words, I deliver tech news that is easy to read.

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