The new Alexa for Shopping tool combines Rufus's product expertise with Alexa+ personalization and is free for all U.S. customers
SOPA Images / Getty Images
Amazon $AMZN introduced Alexa for Shopping on Wednesday, a tool that replaces its Rufus chatbot and embeds an AI shopping assistant into the main Amazon search bar, the company said. The new offering is available at no cost to all U.S. customers on the Amazon Shopping app, the Amazon website, and Echo Show devices, with no Prime membership required.
Alexa for Shopping draws on Rufus's product knowledge and shopping history data alongside the personalization capabilities of Alexa+, according to Amazon. While Rufus is being shut down as a standalone product, its underlying recommendation engine and shopping history data will still feed into some queries made through Alexa for Shopping, Amazon said.
Rufus, which Amazon launched roughly two years ago, was used by 300 million customers in 2025, the company said. Unlike Rufus, which required tapping a separate icon to launch, Alexa for Shopping surfaces automatically within search results, triggered by the nature of the query — though basic searches like "pants" or "bananas" will still route directly to conventional product listings.
The new features include side-by-side product comparisons generated directly from search results, AI-generated overviews at the top of search results and on product pages, up to a full year of price history on product listings, and the ability to schedule purchases or set price alerts. Customers can also ask Alexa for Shopping to build carts based on past orders or conversational prompts, and a "Buy for Me" feature can complete purchases on third-party retailer websites on a customer's behalf, Amazon said.
Preferences and conversation history shared across Alexa-enabled devices will carry over into the Amazon shopping experience, and vice versa, the company said.
"Whether you're comparing products, tracking a price drop, or continuing research you started yesterday, you don't have to start over," said Rajiv Mehta, Amazon's VP of Conversational Shopping, in a statement.
Daniel Rausch, the Amazon VP who leads Alexa, said the tool's advantage over rival AI shopping products lies in its access to customer reviews, a large product catalog, and reliable inventory and delivery data. "Shopping is not something you do as a side quest," Rausch told CNBC.
For customers with Echo Show devices, the update removes a longstanding constraint: those screens had previously offered only a stripped-down shopping experience, but they will now connect to the complete Amazon storefront. Alexa for Shopping will roll out to all U.S. customers over the coming week, Amazon said.
Join 500,000+ readers who start their day with Quartz.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
