At last month’s Amazon Sellers Support & Connect (my free monthly call for Amazon sellers) I talked about Amazon’s AI tools. It turned out only one person on the call had seen or heard of them. Most people hadn’t noticed them at all.
So if that’s you too, please don’t worry. You’re not behind. This isn’t something everyone’s talking about yet (other than in the Amazon world) and you haven’t missed much.
But I do think it’s worth knowing about, because Amazon’s investing heavily in AI and it’s starting to shape how customers find and choose products.
Here’s what’s actually happening, and what I think you should be focusing on right now.
Why you should care about this
A fair question is: why does this matter if some of these tools aren’t even fully available in the UK yet?
Amazon is investing heavily in AI-powered shopping experiences. Whether your customers end up using Rufus, Alexa for Shopping, or whatever else Amazon launches next, the direction of travel is clear. Amazon wants it to be easier for customers to discover products by asking questions and describing what they need, rather than typing keywords into a search box.
That doesn’t mean everything changes overnight. But it does mean it’s worth understanding where Amazon’s heading.
What Amazon’s AI shopping tools actually are
Rufus is Amazon’s AI-powered shopping assistant. If you’re in the UK, you might have already seen it. There’s a Rufus button on Amazon’s homepage, and if you click it, you can ask shopping-related questions.
Instead of searching for a keyword like “tea gift set” or “lunch bag”, a customer could ask something broader, like:
- What’s a good gift for someone who loves tea?
- Which lunch bag will keep food cold all day?
- Which sewing machine is best for beginners?
That’s quite different from traditional Amazon search. The customer isn’t necessarily starting with a product name or keyword. They’re describing a need, a problem, an occasion, or the person they’re buying for.
Rufus also shows up on product listings. If you go onto a product detail page and scroll down towards the reviews, you may see a Rufus search box where customers can ask questions about that specific product. This is the bit I think you really need to pay attention to.
A customer might ask:
- Is this dishwasher safe?
- Is this suitable for sensitive skin?
- Will this fit in a car cup holder?
- Is this good for a small kitchen?
- Can this be used outdoors?
- Is this suitable as a gift?
If the answer is clearly available in your listing, Rufus has something to work with. If it isn’t, Rufus can’t answer properly, so the customer may move on and look at a competitor’s product instead.
This really reinforces something I say all the time: your listing needs to answer the questions a potential customer might have before they buy. Not just keywords. Clear, useful information in your title, bullet points, description, images, A+ content, attributes, customer Q&A and, where you can, your reviews.
Amazon’s said Rufus is trained on its product catalogue, customer reviews, community Q&As, product detail pages and information from across the web. So the more complete and helpful your product information is, the better chance Amazon has of understanding your product, and the better chance customers have of understanding it too.
A quick note on Alexa for Shopping
This is where I want to be a little careful, because it’s easy to get confused between what’s happening in the US and what’s happening here.
In the US, Amazon’s actually retired the Rufus name. It’s been merged into something called Alexa for Shopping, which brings together Rufus and Alexa+ into a more personalised shopping assistant. It’s available to US customers on the Amazon Shopping app, the Amazon website and Echo Show devices, and it isn’t just voice shopping through a speaker. It works through a chat-style experience too, and it now sits inside the main Amazon search bar for US customers by default, not something they have to choose to open.
If you sell in the US as well as the UK, it’s worth knowing that name change has happened. Everything I’ve said above about Rufus still applies. It’s the same underlying tool, just with a different name. Rufus is still what you’ll see in the UK.
The myths worth clearing up
Myth: Amazon SEO is dead. It isn’t. Amazon still needs to understand what your product is and when it’s relevant, arguably more so now. Keywords still matter.
Myth: Keywords don’t matter anymore. Customers might ask questions differently, but Amazon still relies on your product information to work out relevance. Strong keyword research, knowing the words and phrases your customers actually use, is still important.
Myth: You need a completely new ‘Rufus strategy’. Most of what’s being marketed as Rufus optimisation is just good listing optimisation – the things I’ve always talked about. Clear titles, strong bullet points, complete attributes and customer-focused content have always mattered. This isn’t new.
Myth: AI will replace customer decision-making. Customers are still the ones making the purchasing decisions. These tools are helping people discover and compare products, not buying on their behalf. Not yet, anyway.
What I’d actually do differently
For most sellers, I don’t think the answer is to make dramatic changes. Instead, focus on the things that have always mattered:
- Complete product information
- Accurate attributes
- Clear descriptions
- Customer-focused bullet points
- Strong images
- Reviews
And then think specifically about the questions your customers regularly ask. If people frequently ask whether something’s dishwasher safe, whether it’ll fit, whether it’s suitable for sensitive skin, or whether it’s waterproof, that information should already be in your listing.
A practical exercise you can do today
Ask yourself, if a customer could ask Amazon’s AI assistant one question about my product, what would it be?
Then go and look at your own listing. Can that question actually be answered from your title, images, bullet points, A+ content or attributes?
If not, that’s a genuine opportunity to improve it.
And it’s worth going a step further and actually trying it. Go onto your own listing and ask Rufus a question the way a customer would. Check two things: can it answer at all, and is the answer it gives you correct. If it can’t, or if it gets something wrong, that’s telling you exactly where your listing needs work.
If you’re running US ads
If you’re running Sponsored Products or Sponsored Brands campaigns in the US, it’s worth knowing Amazon’s started layering AI-generated prompts on top of those campaigns. From what I understand, this isn’t something you set up yourself and you can’t opt out of it, and clicks on these prompts are billed the same as a normal ad click.
I’ll be upfront that I work with US brands and haven’t actually seen this show up myself yet, so I’d treat this with a bit of caution rather than take my word for it. It’s worth having a proper look in your own Ads Console to see what’s already appearing under your campaigns. There’s no confirmed UK date for this yet, but I’d be surprised if it doesn’t follow at some point.
The main takeaway
You don’t need to panic about any of this. Amazon’s AI shopping tools don’t change the fundamentals of selling well on Amazon.
The sellers who clearly communicate what their products are, who they’re for, and why someone should buy them, are likely to stay in a strong position regardless of whether customers are using traditional search, Rufus, Alexa for Shopping, or whatever Amazon launches next.
Focus on helping your customers understand your products, and you’ll be moving in the right direction.
If any of this has raised questions for you, or you just want to talk it through, come along to my free Amazon Sellers Support & Connect call. It’s on the first Wednesday of every month, it’s always free, and you’re always welcome.
Sign up here: https://calendly.com/vickiweinberg/new-meeting