Amazon launches Alexa for Shopping as Rufus moves behind the scenes

Amazon has launched Alexa for Shopping, combining its Rufus purchasing chatbot with Alexa+ throughout its app, web site, and Echo Show units.

The assistant can reply product questions, examine objects, monitor costs, and assist purchasing reminders. It also can deal with scheduled purchasing actions and eligible automated purchases.

The firm stated Alexa for Shopping combines Rufus’ product experience with Alexa+’s personalised assistant context. Amazon stated Rufus helped greater than 300 million prospects in 2025 analysis, examine, and purchase merchandise.

GeekWire reported that Amazon is retiring the Rufus title from its purchasing interface, whereas Rufus will proceed to energy elements of the expertise behind the scenes.

GeekWire additionally reported that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy stated Rufus month-to-month lively customers rose greater than 115%, whereas engagement elevated almost 400% 12 months over 12 months.

Alexa for Shopping is obtainable via the Amazon Shopping app, Amazon’s web site, and Echo Show units. The characteristic is rolling out to US prospects. Signed-in Amazon prospects can use it for free, and not using a Prime membership, Echo system, or Alexa app.

Amazon reported US$426.3 billion in North America internet gross sales and US$161.9 billion in worldwide internet gross sales in 2025. Amazon additionally reported on-line shops and third-party vendor companies as separate income classes in its 2025 annual report.

Amazon provides purchasing questions to go looking

The assistant permits prospects to ask shopping-related questions via Amazon’s important search bar as a substitute of utilizing a separate chatbot window. Users can ask for product suggestions or buy historical past. They also can ask for recommendation associated to particular purchasing wants.

Examples shared by Amazon embrace questions such as “What’s a great skincare routine for males?” and “When did I final order AA batteries?” Amazon stated the assistant makes use of data from its platform to reply these questions.

Amazon stated Alexa for Shopping makes use of data from a buyer’s Amazon exercise and Alexa interactions. That contains purchasing historical past, looking, purchases, and conversations. Amazon stated the data is used to advocate merchandise and assist purchasing actions.

Alexa for Shopping can examine merchandise aspect by aspect and supply AI-generated summaries on product pages. It also can present AI-generated overviews in search outcomes with class data.

Price monitoring and automatic purchasing

Alexa for Shopping can monitor worth drops for chosen objects for as much as one 12 months. Customers can view a full 12 months of worth historical past on product element pages or by asking the assistant.

The assistant can create purchasing guides for bigger purchases. These guides examine product options and costs. They additionally embrace opinions from Amazon and the net.

Amazon stated prospects can use the assistant to set scheduled purchasing actions, together with restocking home items. Amazon stated the assistant also can deal with birthday reminders and present recommendations.

Scheduled actions will also be tied to situations. For instance, the assistant can add an merchandise to the cart if it reaches a goal worth and has not been bought inside a set interval.

The assistant can search previous orders and add incessantly bought objects to a buyer’s cart via conversational prompts.

Amazon stated prospects can view and replace private particulars utilized by Alexa for Shopping. These particulars can embrace relations, pets, pursuits, and dietary wants.

Alexa for Shopping also can floor merchandise from different on-line shops via Shop Direct. For eligible merchandise, Amazon stated its Buy for Me agentic AI characteristic can full purchases utilizing a buyer’s main deal with and cost methodology.

Echo Show will get full purchasing entry

Amazon can also be including full-store purchasing entry to Echo Show. Users can browse, search, and store utilizing voice, contact, or each.

The Echo Show purchasing expertise is obtainable for Alexa+ prospects on Echo Show 15 and Echo Show 21, with assist for different units to observe.

Amazon additionally cited AI investments in its first-quarter 2026 outcomes. The firm stated free money movement fell to US$1.2 billion for the trailing 12 months. It attributed the decline primarily to a US$59.3 billion improve in property and tools purchases, primarily reflecting AI investments.

Rajiv Mehta, Amazon’s vice chairman of conversational purchasing, stated the assistant can carry buyer preferences, previous purchases, and conversations throughout telephones, laptops, and Echo units.

Users can entry the assistant by updating the Amazon Shopping app and deciding on the Alexa icon in the backside navigation bar. On the desktop, the characteristic seems at the high of the display.

(Photo by Anirudh)

See additionally: Google tests Remy AI agent for Gemini as focus turns to user control

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